Landshark
by kandyblood
Summary: Ella and the four Beta kids meet up in real life, despite Ella's misgivings, but a hurricane ends up hitting Jade's island. After Ella collapses with an unknown disease, she's forced to face her fears about hospitals and about fitting in with her friends. JohnxOC, Spacetime, Rosemary, and others. Rated T for language and some slight suggestive sexual things. Sequel is now up.
1. In Which Ella Is Accused Of Liking John

**Note: This is my first time writing a fanfic, so...yeah! Partly based off an ongoing roleplay, mostly just my own rambling. Umm... I don't own Homestuck, that belongs to the Huss of Lips, as do all the characters but Cuz and Ella, who are mine. Please tell me how I'm doing with this if you're even reading it!**

Ella was in the tree, as usual. She had her laptop next to her and her notebook propped up on her knee as she drew her Cuz from the view she got when she looked down at him from the tree. In the drawing he was looking up at her with a vaguely irritated expression. Suddenly, her Pesterchum made that infuriating "ping" noise and she lazily used her right hand to check it. She continued drawing with her left until she saw the name that was flashing on the screen. Ella put down her notebook and gave her full attention to her laptop as she answered one of her best friends in the whole world.

-ectoBiologist [EB] has begun pestering sarcasticBookworm [SB]-

EB: hi ella!

SB: Hey John! Whats up?

EB: oh, you know. dads baking cakes again. :B

SB: Ehehe. Have fun with that. [;

EB: i will.

EB: so hows life been?

SB: John, I talked to you like three hours ago.

SB: Hasnt been enough time for anything to change.

EB: haha, sorry!

EB: i forgot. ;B

SB: Oh , I see how it is!

SB: Think youre too good for me, huh?

SB: Well, I dont care either!

EB: oh no!

EB: please dont be mad! D:

SB: Oh my God, John, I was so messing with you.

SB: I know you wouldnt do something like that! [:

EB: oh, good! i thought you were going to stop being my friend or smething!

EB: that would suck. :0

SB: You bet it would. I would never, ever stop being your friend!

EB: well thats a relief. :B

SB: Oh, Cuz is finally back with the groceries! Ive gotta go ambush him, talk to you later?

EB: duh, of course.

EB: see ya!

SB: Bye John!

-sarcasticBookworm [SB] has ceased pestering ectoBiologist [EB]-

Ella smiled and crept out onto the branch that's situated perfectly for ambushing someone who's getting out of the driver's side of the car. She watched Cuz get out of the car and open the trunk, never taking her eyes off him as he got a few paper bags out of the back. She was all ready to pounce when-

"I can see you, kiddo. Don't even try to ambush me again."

"Uuuugggghhhh, you're so lame." Ella climbed off her branch and dropped to the ground with practiced ease. She grabbed a bag from the car and shut the trunk with her elbow.

"How can you even see me, what with my amazing ninja skills and all?"

"You seem to have forgotten; I am the master ninja. It is me. I taught you everything you know about being ninja."

"Cuz, you taught me everything I know about everything."

"Ha! You finally admi-"

Ella interrupted him in mid- sentence.

"Which isn't very much."

Cuz set his burden on the kitchen counter and ruffles her hair playfully.

"That was a pretty sick burn, I have to admit."

"Don't even try. You, my dear cousin, are the exact opposite of street."

"At least I'm more street than you'll ever be."

"Ouch."

They did this a lot, this rapid-fire exchange of insults that left some pretty bad burns. But never once had Ella fought her Cuz for real; though she tried not to show it, that really frustrated her when the others complained about the constant strife they had with their guardians.

"Okay, can I go back to my tree yet? I kinda left my friend hanging."

"Oooooo, which friend?"

Ella knew what Cuz was getting at and she wasn't going to let him win. Not if she could help it.

"John," she said breezily, as though it meant nothing to her.

Cuz was smarter.

"That's the one who sent you that really nice set of colored pencils last year for your birthday, right?"

"…Maybe."

Ella braced herself for the inevitable onslaught.

"I remember. You started jumping up and down and fangirling when you saw the package. Before you even knew what was inside."

"Oh shut up, I was just excited that he remembered my birthday."

"Because you're totally head-over-heels for him!"

"Nuh- uh!"

"Uh- huh!"

"Why do you care anyways?"

"HA! You so just admitted it!"

"SHUT UP!"

Cuz just grinned at her infuriatingly and gave her another endearing head pat.

"Okay, kiddo. I won't keep you from your boyfriend any longer."

"_HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND_!"

"Whatever you saaaay…"

Ella gave an exasperated sigh and stormed out of the room, letting the front screen door slam noisily behind her. She jogged back to the tree and scampered back up, only to find that her Pesterchum was pinging again.

-turntechGodhead [TG] has begun pestering sarcatsicBookworm [SB]-

TG: sup

TG: you there

TG: cmon ella answer me

TG: its not cool to leave people hanging

TG: dude

TG: seriously

SB: Sorry Dave! I was helping my Cuz with the groceries.

SB: What can I do you for?

TG: okay

TG: first of all who even says that

TG: and second

TG: do you have the hots for egderp?

TG: you still there

SB: Yes.

TG: well?

SB: First of all, I say that. And second, no.

TG: are you sure

SB: Dave. Even if I wasn't sure it's really none of your business.

TG: so you do have the hots for him

SB: No! Did I not just say that I didn't like three minutes ago?

TG: you so do

TG: later

-turntechGodhead [TG] has ceased pestering sarcasticBookworm [SB]-

**(Note: this is my first time writing a fanfic, so this is totally new to me! ideas, thoughts, comments are all welcome! i know you guys are probably like, "really? another OC?" but i really like this story so if you dont like it dont read it. if you do like it, please say so! im open to comments, questions, all that good stuff. looking forward to updating more of this fic!i'm thinking about using the trolls? maybe at college? open to suggestions! :D ~kandyblood is out~)**


	2. In Which Ella Flips Out

**Note: Oh my god! I could not believe it when I saw that I already have someone following this fic! I literally started screaming and I like assaulted my bro at about 10 pm yesterday. Thanks to my amazing follower and to my awesome boyfriend Ian! You guys have really boosted my confidence about this whole thing. And finally, I do not own Homestuck or any characters but Ella and Cuz, everyone else belongs to Hussie. Thanks for reading!**

Her name is Ella Stein and she is currently _flipping the fuck out_. How the hell could Dave have known about her crush on John?! And what triggered this sudden inquiry?! Ella is hyperventilating, shaky and sweaty and hysterical up in her tree. Once she's done having a mental breakdown (which takes upwards of thirty minutes), she realizes that her Pesterchum is pinging. **Again.**She calms down enough to answer, though her hands are still shaking and it takes her awhile to type out her replies.

-gardenGnostic [GG] has begun pestering sarcasticBookworm [SB]—

GG: hey ella!

GG: dave, rose, john, and i just got the GREATEST IDEA! :D

SB: Oh?

GG: well, actually it was mostly rose's idea.

GG: but it's the best idea EVER!

SB: Whoah there. Slow down and tell me what this amazing idea is.

GG: we want to meet in real life! all of us together!

Ella freezes, staring at the screen in disbelief. All of them? In real life? But… well, Dave already knows (or at least he suspects) and the others…? Does John? Most importantly- does he return those feelings? Will he laugh in your face? She is snapped back into the real world by her Pesterchum and its insistent pinging.

GG: ella? are you still there?

SB: Yeah, sorry.

GG: well? what do you think? isn't it just the best idea ever?

SB: Yeah.

SB: Where would we meet? For how long?

GG: probably here on my island, i'm the only one with enough space. maybe a week? two? possibly more! :B

SB: That sounds like fun!

SB: Would we be on our lonesome, or should we bring the old Guardians along?

GG: well… we were thinking it could just be us!

GG: i mean, weve got bec if theres trouble… and we are seventeen.

GG: were pretty sure theyd be cool with it, too!

SB: I know that Cuz would.

SB: When would this be happening?

GG: oh, i dunno…. next week maybe?

She feels herself freeze again. A week? One single week to get all this teenager emotion under control? That right there is the _very definition_ of impossible. But Ella puts on a brave face and gets ready to lie like she's never done before.

SB: YES!

SB: Lets totally do this thing!

GG: were doing this man!

SB: Were making this happen!

GG: okay, so well get the flights and stuff in order!

GG: john, rose, and dave are already on board.

SB: Cool. Whos "we"?

GG: dave and i. ive been told that daves bro has some "connections." so i guess youll all be on your way pretty soon!

SB: Sounds like a plan!

SB: See you pretty soon then! [:

GG: i cant wait! :D

SB: Bye Jade!

-sarcasticBookworm [SB] has ceased pestering gardenGnostic [GG]—

Ohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohg od. That is pretty much the only thought going through Ella's mind as she has another panic attack. She leaps out of the tree and rushes inside, leaving her computer in the tree.

"CUZ! WE HAVE A SERIOUS EMERGENCY HERE!"

Cuz saunters in from the kitchen and looks at her with a calm and faintly amused expression.

"Calm down, kiddo. What's the matter?"

"Jade and Dave and Rose and John thought it would be a good idea for us all to meet in real life but I really like John and if I tell him he'll probably reject me but if I don't it'll be so much more awkward when we meet in real life and I don't know what to do!"

She stops, breathing frantically.

"Um. What?"

"Don't make me repeat it!"

"Okay, okay. When and where would this meeting be?"

"Next week! On Jade's island!"

"….Oh. Well shit."

"YOU'RE TELLING ME!"

"Calm down, kid. We got this. Just tell him if you're that worried about it."

"But…he'll reject me."

"Kid, he'd be crazy to reject a girl like you. You're smart, sweet, funny, and a great artist. Any guy…any person at all would be lucky to get you."

"You're my cuz, you're supposed to say stuff like that."

"Okay, maybe, but it's also true."

"…..Fine. I'll try."

Ella returns to the tree and takes a deep breath. She pesters John.

-sarcasticBookworm [SB] has begun pestering ectoBiologist [EB]—

EB: hi!

EB: did jade tell you about our idea?

SB: Yeah! Sounds like fun!

EB: i know, right? we were thinking…two days from now?

SB: Uh. Yeah, that sounds cool.

SB: But… I have something to tell you.

EB: fire away! :B

SB: I…have had…

EB: yeah?

SB: Nevermind.

EB: oh, cmon ella! you can tell me anything, youre like my best friend!

SB: IvehadahugecrushonyousinceJa deintroducedus.

EB: uh. really?

SB: Yeah…

EB: um wow, look at the time! i just gotta…go now.

-ectoBiologist [EB] has ceased pestering sarcasticBookworm [SB]—

Ella sat there, staring at her computer screen.

"…..I knew it." She felt her eyes beginning to sting, but she squeezed them shut before she started to cry. It didn't work.

Eventually, her eyelids grew heavy and her teenage hormonal tears ran out. She fell asleep in the tree, curled around her laptop. Cuz comes out and brings her inside, still holding her computer.

Exactly ten hours later she was woken by that familiar "ping" noise.

-tentacleTherapist [TT] has begun pestering sarcasticBookworm [SB]—

TT: Ella? Are you there?

SB: Hnngh.

TT: I am deeply sorry that I woke you at such an hour, but I heard about your conversation with a certain Mr. Egbert.

SB: You what.

TT: Don't be alarmed, I am the only person he told. I decided to see how you were reacting to this.

SB: Rose. Please. I dont have the energy for an examination of my psyche.

TT: This is simply me expressing concern for my friend. John told me that you had logged out of your Pesterchum for the first time in years, and I was worried.

SB: He rejected me. Exactly what I thought would happen.

TT: Are you sure that was rejection?

TT: In his hurried explanation of what happened, it seemed to me that he just panicked and had to leave in order to gather his thoughts.

SB: ….I'll keep that in mind.

TT: So…are you ready for tonight?

SB: What about tonight.

TT: We are all departing for Jade's island tonight.

SB: WHAT.

TT: Were you not aware of this?

TT: I believe your flight is at 4:00 pm, from Denver to Honolulu, Hawaii.

TT: Dave's brother has gotten ahold of several free tickets for us, and Jade has a boat set up for us to use in order to reach her island from Honolulu.

SB: Oh.

TT: You seem a little put out.

SB: Um. No. Just nervous and a little freaked out, to tell you the truth.

TT: I see. Well, I was told to give you these pictures so that you can recognize us at the airport.

-tentacleTherapist [TT] sent sarcasticBookworm [SB] the file —

SB: Oh. Uh. Okay. Great, thanks, I really need to go pack now I guess.

TT: Yes, that would be recommended.

TT: See you this evening, Ella.

-tentacleTherapist [TT] has ceased pestering sarcasticBookworm [SB]—

Ella didn't even have the energy to freak out further. She mechanically started packing her one suitcase, checking things off a list she made while hollowly thinking about the impending disaster. Cuz finds her in the bathroom, trying numbly to force a toothpaste cap onto her toothbrush.

"Uh. Kiddo? Whatcha doin there?"

"Packing."

"…..I don't think the toothpaste cap belongs on the toothbrush. That might be just me, but…"

Ella looked down at her hands with mild surprise. "Oh."

"So I'm guessing you need me to drive you to the airport?"

"I have a license, Cuz."

"Who's gonna bring the car home?"

"….Good point."

"What time is the flight?"

"4 pm. To Honolulu."

"Okay. Are you sure you want to go? Because I can totally say no if you want me to."

"Thanks, but this is something I have to do."

"Okay, kiddo. Whatever floats your boat." Cuz ruffled Ella's hair and helped her finish packing.

The thoughts going through Ella's head?

_What the hell am I getting myself into?_


	3. In Which There Is An Awkward Meeting

**Note: Okay people! I wrote this whole chapter and then realized that I wanted to completely change the plot. So I am currently trying to fix this damn thing on my iPod and it is totally not working! If the formatting is a bit off, well, that's why! Don't own Homestuck or any characters but Ella and Cuz, everything else is property of the mighty Andrew Hussie.**

Ella got off the plane, her heart pounding. Her hands were shaking and her mouth was drier than the Sahara desert as she glanced down at the photo in her trembling fingers. She couldn't help but think: _What if I'm the only one here? What if they forgot and are already on the boat? What if-_ Her rambling, anxious thoughts cut short as she heard her name being called behind her. She turned around just in time to be hit by a tall figure with glasses and messy black hair.

"ELLA!"

She attempted to detangle herself from the lanky teenager who was John. When she finally managed to get free of his tackle-hug, she realized that he was wearing…a tuxedo.

"John? What-"

He swept her off her feet, bridal style, and grinned down at her. And _wow_ was he gorgeous. His black hair was hanging down in front of his eyes, which were insanely blue and full of laughter. He had gotten some dental work done, but his buckteeth were still visible as he smiled so wide Ella thought he might break.

"Uh…"

"Ella? Will you marry me?" His face shown with childish hopefulness as he breathlessly awaited her response.

Realizing that this was a prank to end all pranks, Ella decided to play his game too.

"Oh, John! I thought you'd never ask!" She pretended to swoon in his arms, smothering a laugh.

He put her down and hugged her properly. "It's great to finally see you," He murmured into her shoulder.

Ella froze, aware of the hundreds of eyes on them. Some person in the crowd finally shouted, "Well? Are you going to kiss her or what?"

She felt her eyes go wide at this suggestion, turning red as a cherry tomato. She could feel John stiffen next to her and they stepped away from each other hastily,blushing and avoiding each other's eyes. A moan of disappointment rose from the crowd as an unmistakably cool voice sounded behind them.

"Damn. I was looking forward to that."

They both whipped around, only to be greeted by the sight of one Dave Strider, Coolkid Extrordinaire. He was smirking at them as he sauntered over, flinging an arm around John's neck as he looked Ella up and down.

"I dunno man, I think you're missin' out," he drawled lazily, causing Ella's blush to deepen.

John elbowed Dave playfully and ducked away from him.

"Just because you feel the need to lay every hot girl you put your eyes on doesn't mean that I do!"

Ella froze and stared at John disbelievingly. Did he just...call her..._hot_? Because she was pretty much the opposite of "hot," what with her shaggy shoulder length black hair, slim but flat figure, hated freckles dusting her cheeks, unreliable, color changing eyes (that were usually a murky brown), and her large rectangular spectacles. Not to mention that Cuz was always teasing her about her fashion sense.

She was drawn out of her stunned stupor as yet another figure with glasses and messy black hair tackled her to the ground in a hug.

"Oomph! Jade!"

"Hi Ella! How are you?"

Ella disentangled herself from her friend, smiling. "Awesome. As usual."

Jade laughed and helped her up, seeing John and Dave for the first time. "Hi guys! Anything interesting happen yet?"

Dave smirked and John turned red.

"Nothing much, John just proposed to Ella and she said yes."

Jade laughed again and nudged Ella, her eyebrows wiggling out of control. "OoOo, I guess we know why Ella's so cheerful!"

A tall, elegant girl approached them, smiling amusedly. "Please, enlighten me. Why is our friend so cheerful?"

Jade grinned devilishly. "John and Ella are engaged, isn't it great?"

The couple in question facepalmed simultaneously as Rose cocked an eyebrow.

"When's the wedding?"

Ella surveyed the situation and determined the best way for both of them to keep some shread of dignity: take part in the joke. She glanced over at John.

"I was thinking...next June? How does that sound to you?"

Realization dawned on his gorgeous features as he figured out what she was doing. "Whatever you want, Hummingbird."

There was a split second of silence before all five of them burst out laughing. They wiped tears from their eyes (except for Dave- he's too cool for that) and they headed toward the exit, Jade chatting happily as Rose discussed something with John. Ella was silent, avoiding looking at John and only giving the necessary responses to Jade's onslaught. Dave interjected the occasional comment, looking at Ella through his shades as if to say, _I know what's going on. Better watch it or I might just spill the beans."_

Ella gulped and focused on the ground at her feet. This was going to be a very long couple of weeks.

**(Note: whew! finally finished this! curse you, mobile formatting! took me forever and a half plus three days to complete this, hope you like the kids' first meeting! just to clear things up- there is no sburb/sgrub in this universe, and there may or may not be some humanstuck later with the trolls. which may or may not involve a crisis commonly referred to as college. please keep reading, i love you all! ~kandyblood has now left the building~)**


	4. In Which There Is A Corny Sunset

**Note: Whew, here it comes guys! Finally some of that romance! Hope you like it, it's kinda sorta not really based off a recent role-play that I took part in. So...yeah! Thanks again for all your support and I hope I can get to the good part soon! Homestuck and all the characters cept Ella and Cuz are Hussie's, the aforementioned duo are mine. Really loved writing the other three chapters, sooo we'll see how this goes! Luv you guys and thanks for reading!**

Ella was squished between Jade and Rose as the bus bumped along, carrying them from the airport to the docks. Dave was engaged in a serious conversation with John as Jade and Ella chattered. They had changed topics _yet again_ and were talking about the best conditions for Ella's hair. (Jade insisted that the humidity would be good for it, while Ella said that the dry mountain air that she was accustomed to kept it from getting frizzy. Jade then proceded to tell her about this _amazing_ new shampoo she found that totally got frizz under control) Rose occasionally interjected, giving helpful tips about good styles for Ella's hair type and length. The bus suddenly let out a hiss and a groan as it came to a halt at the docks. John looked out the window and grabbed his suitcase suddenly. "Hey guys, I think this is our stop!" The others (except Jade) grabbed their suitcases as well and headed out the door.

Ella saw the ocean and stopped talking suddenly. She gaped at the mass of water in front of her, amazed at how _much_ of it there was. John finally broke the hush that had fallen over the five of them, laughing. The others exchanged smiles and pointed looks as they gradually drew ahead of John and Ella. Soon the pair was left in the dust.

"Is this really the first time you've seen the ocean?" The lanky boy said, laughing.

"Yup. I live in freaking Denver, dude, there is no water except maybe the reservoirs."

"Pfff! Reservoirs?! Wimpy!"

"You want to see wimpy? I'd like to see one of you guys who lives at sea level try and climb a fourteener!"

John looked at her blankly."...What's a fourteener?"

Ella laughed. "It's a mountain that is between fourteen and fifteen hundred feet."

John looks thoughtful. "I suppose that could be pretty embarrassing."

"You guys wouldn't last a minute up there!" Ella laughed a little nervously. Suddenly there was a hand on her shoulder and two incredibly blue eyes boring into hers.

"Ella? Did you know that your eyes change color when you're sad?"

She looked up at him in surprise. "How did you know I was sad?"

John just shrugged, looking vaguely concerned. He was so beautiful and _holy fucking gog he was close._

Ella glanced over his shoulder, hoping to decrease the intensity, and saw it. A sunset over the ocean. She felt herself we'll up with tears as she beheld its natural majesty. John noticed her expression and looked over his shoulder. He turned around fully, letting his hand drop from Ella's shoulder. "...Wow," he finally managed to say, his jaws agape. "Even in Washington we don't have sunsets as spectacular as that."

She leaned on him, limp with awe. "This is amazing," she murmured after a long silence. John looked down at her and smiled. He pushed her off gently.

"Ella?"

"Mmmmhmm?"

"Do you still...feel that way about me?"

She sighed through her nose and kept her eyes fixed determinedly on the sunset. "Yes. Of course I do."

John turned her around to face him. "That's good. Because I sure as hell do."

Ella's surprise turned into joy as she melted into the kiss that followed, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing herself against him. She made a needy noise as he bit down gently on her lip, which upped his "Attractiveness Echeladder" from _hot_ to _downright sexy_. Finally, they broke apart, flushed and grinning at each other.

The others came up the hill and saw them with their arms wrapped around each other and exchanged knowing smiles. Dave was the first to interrupt.

"Bout time, you two."

Ella and John both looked up at their friends and stepped away from each other hastily, blushing. Jade laughed and the others joined in. "You don't have to hide it, guys! We've been waiting for you two to come to your senses for _ages_."

The couple joined in the laughter and the five of them headed toward the pier. In the back, where Rose, Dave, and Jade couldn't see, John and Ella twined their fingers together as they walked off into the rapidly falling dusk.

**(Note: omg this is soooooooo fluffy and totally cliche but it was also super fun to write! *rides away on a cloud in a transport of romantic glee* also wanted to say thank you to anyone who's reading this, I have over 80 views ALREADY! i feel so popular. ;u; please comment and tell me how im doing with this, feedback always welcome! thanks so much! also, i thought it ended too abruptly so thats why i updated it in case youre wondering. ~kandyblood bows as the curtain falls across the stage~)**


	5. In Which John Is Shirtless

**Note: Wow you guys. I am blown away by how much traffic this fic is getting! Here's chapter five, hope you like it! Some Dave x Jade in this one, plus waaayyyy more Ella x John. Definitely some more romance, definitely more intense, and definitely less...cliche. Definitely. Please, please, please give me a review, criticism and compliments all very welcome! I know this fic is updated _a lot, _but that is going to change once school starts. ;n; Might do a sequel when this one's done, thoughts on that? I really do love you guys and I super duper appreciate your reading this! Special thanks to XxNepetaRainbowAkemixX, bluelanterns, and nikkidoesntknow for following this story! You really boosted my confidence and are part of the reason why I'm even continuing this. Lastly, I am not the Huss so I do not own Homestuck or any characters but Ella and Cuz. Enjoy!**

Ella was woken by a gentle hand shaking her shoulder. She blinked blearily up at a pair of blue eyes as she slowly came to her senses. "...on Ella, we're here." She sat up and stretched, accidentally brushing John's face with her fist. She immediately snapped her hand away, realizing with embarrassment that she had fallen asleep on his shoulder.

"Sorry..."

"No, it's okay. You're cute when you sleep."

Ella felt her face heating up as she stood up hastily, avoiding John's eyes. She adjusted her glasses and ran a hand through her usually-neat hair. Jade and Dave were already off the boat and were talking and laughing as they headed up the beach toward Jade's house. Rose was standing on the gangplank, surveying her new surroundings. She looked up as Ella walked over, still a little groggy.

"Hello Ella. Sleep well?"

"Bluh whatever."

Rose laughed. "John seemed to be enjoying it."

John walked up behind Ella and put his head on top of hers, draping his arms over her shoulders. "Enjoying what?"

Rose smothered a laugh as Ella stiffened and turned red at John's antics. "We were just discussing Ella's little nap."

"...Ah." John turned a little pink but he covered it by burying his face in Ella's hair. "Wow, what shampoo do you use? You smell like chocolate chip cookies."

Ella raised an eyebrow. "Chocolate chip cookies? I don't even think there is a shampoo that smells like chocolate chip cookies."

"Well I guess that's just you then."

Rose chuckled and followed Dave and Jade up the beach, leaving them behind. John sighed contentedly into Ella's hair, wrapping his arms around her. She leaned into him and watched Dave as he picked Jade up and swirled her around, laughing. Rose was laughing as well as she covered his shades with her hands. Dave swatted her away and smirked at Jade, who was on her knees with laughter. Ella smiled at them, feeling her eyelids starting to droop with happy exhaustion. The tall boy behind her hugged her closer before releasing her and instead sweeping her up into his arms, just as he had done at the airport.

"You look tired."

"Because I am."

"Well I guess I have no choice but to carry you then."

"John you're such a hopeless romantic."

He grinned. "I know."

John started up the beach, carrying Ella as though she weighed nothing. (which was almost true- at five foot three she was a whopping 100 pounds. she was trying to gain weight, but it wasn't really working so far.) They finally reached the house, John still breathing normally. Ella was almost asleep, her hands around John's neck as he walked through the front entrance and into the living room, only to be greeted by the sight of five air mattresses laid out on the ground. He set Ella gracefully on her feet.

"What's going on in here?"

Jade smiled at him as she spread sheets across one of the beds. "We don't have enough bedrooms, so we decided to have a mass sleepover in here! These things are really easy to just shove over to the side during the day, so we can also use this as a living room."

Ella yawned and walked over to the suitcases, which Dave had so thoughtfully brought up. She dug through the pile and pulled out a medium size camping duffle, which was red and very beat up. She unzipped it and started pawing through the contents. John snorted amusedly.

"That's all you brought?"

She stuck a tongue through her teeth as she found what she was looking for and started pulling it out. "Yup. I'm a light packer."

"Yeah, no kidding."

Ella tugged one last time and pulled out three compact rolls of fabric as well as some socks. "You bet. Where's the bathroom?"

Jade pointed over her shoulder. "Down the hall, second door on the left."

"Thanks."

She emerged several minutes later wearing sweat pants a short sleeved t-shirt that said "DSA" on it in big letters, with a complex design and the words "Visual Arts" across the stomach. Her hair was in a short braid and she had a roll of clothes under one arm.

Rose was leaning on the doorframe, wearing a pale yellow pajama top and matching pants. "What does 'DSA' stand for?"

"Denver School of the Arts, it's where I went to high school."

"I see. Are you going to pursue a degree in the Arts?"

"Maybe. I haven't decided yet, but I'm also thinking about an English major."

"That sounds interesting. You are still seventeen, am I right?"

"Yeah, I'm turning eighteen on May 10th."

Jade interjected excitedly. "That's next week! We should have a party!"

Ella looked at her green-eyed friend with mild surprise. "Is it really next week?"

"Yeah, today's the first."

"Wow. Time flies."

Dave walked in, dressed in nothing but his shades and a pair of long pants with Stewie on them from Family Guy.

"Sup."

Rose turned around and spotted him. "Dave Strider! Go put on a shirt, you are in polite company!"

He smirked at her. "Oh yeah? Harley doesn't seem to mind."

Jade was staring at Dave speechlessly and she turned a little red when Dave mentioned her. Ella shrugged. "I live with Cuz, there's not a whole lot that can horrify me any more."

Dave looked at Rose pointedly. "See? Nobody minds but you."

Just then, John came in and laughed. "Jade, you're the only one who isn't in their PJs yet!"

Ella caught herself staring at him. He was, like Dave, shirtless; but he was even more ripped than Dave in a lean, corded, skinny kind of way. He had a _six pack_, for the love of God. And man, look at those biceps. She tore her eyes away from him, but not before he saw her looking at him. He winked at her.

"Like what you see?"

Ella laughed awkwardly. "My cousin is better looking than you," she joked.

John came over and wrapped his arms around her again, whispering so only she could hear. "Face it- you think I'm hot."

She whispered back. "No I don't."

"Then how come you were staring like that?"

"You're not hot, you're sexy. Big difference."

He laughed and kissed her neck, biting a little as he licked her skin. She shuddered in his arms, obviously turned on. John took this as encouragement and worked his way slowly up to her lips, kissing and licking her neck, then her jawline, and finally coming to her mouth. He kissed her deeply and licked her bottom lip. Ella gasped and opened her mouth slightly and he let his tongue slip in, licking the roof of her mouth. She twined her fingers in his hair and kissed him hungrily, moaning a little as he scraped her tongue with his teeth. They were interrupted by the sound of giggling behind them and they broke apart quickly.

"Get a room, guys." Dave smirked, vastly entertained.

John grinned sheepishly, his arms still wrapped around Ella's waist. "Shut up Dave, there are no rooms, remember?"

Jade giggled again. "You two are sooooo adorable!"

Rose was shaking with silent laughter, using the couch as support. "Ella, is John the first person you've ever kissed?"

Ella stuck her tongue out at her. "So what if he is?"

John looked down at her in surprise. "Really? You've never had a relationship before?"

She shook her head, unashamed. "Nope. Never."

"How is that even possible? My biggest worry was that you'd already have a boyfriend or a girlfriend and that you'd totally shun me if I told you how I felt."

"John. I doubt that any of the people I know would even look at me twice like that, let alone ask me out."

"How many people do you even know? One?"

She blushed. "No, more like ten or eleven. Well, people I'm friends with anyway."

"You're too modest. I bet even the straight girls wanted to go out with you at some point."

Ella laughed. "Half of my friends aren't straight anyway."

Rose stopped laughing and looked at the rest of them seriously. "Speaking of which, I have something to tell you all."

John and Ella broke apart completely and stood to face her, Jade stopped laughing, and Dave stayed the same.

"...I have a girlfriend," Rose said simply.

**(Note: bom bom bom! there it is guys! a sloppy makeout, some other pairings, and a little twist there as well. hope you like it, if you dont _please please please _tell me. in fact, tell me even if you do like it because i really do need some more feedback here! chapter six coming up *hopefully* within 24 hours. so until then, i will leave you guys alone! ~kandyblood is now going to mow the lawn~)**


	6. In Which Things Heat Up

**Note: EEEEEEEEEEEEE! I am freaking out! OVER 100 VIEWS PEEPS! I love you thank you omg I am just giddy with happiness and amazement right now! My little sister, who btw is NINE, blackmailed me into letting her read this insisting that if I didn't she would tell my lusi about this. I regret to inform you that I caved and read it aloud to her, though I really did try my best to preserve her innocence by omitting some of the more...mature content. Anyway, I would love some more reviews and thanks to ThatsJustGr8 for following this, as well as NyraROX for commenting. Homestuck and all characters belong to Andrew "Waste of Space" Hussie, except Ella and Cuz who are mine.**

The four of them immediately swarmed around Rose, offering exclamations of joy and congratulations. Rose smiled and ducked away from them, escaping their hugs (or in Dave's case fistbumps).

"Thank you for being happy for me, but doesn't it bother you at all that I am in a homosexual relationship?"

They all burst out laughing at this preposterous suggestion.

"Rose, we couldn't care less about what gender they are, we're just excited that you found someone!" Ella said cheerfully.

"Yeah, who's the lucky girl?" Dave asked, giving Rose a genuine smile for once.

Rose smiled a little dreamily. "Her name is Kanaya. She's classy, smart, eloquent, and has excellent taste in fashion."

"Oh is that all? She must be pretty amazing," said John, grinning.

Rose nodded in agreement. "She most certainly is."

Jade hugged her, and this time Rose allowed it. "We're so happy for you! When do we get to meet her?"

"Well, that depends. We are both attending Northwestern University in the fall and I was hoping that you four would come as well."

Jade, John, and Dave all nodded confidently, but Ella looked nervous. "I don't know Rose, that's a pretty good school and I'm not sure they'd accept me."

John smiled at her. "Of course they will! You could easily get an academic scholarship!"

Ella shook her head. "DSA isn't exactly known for its academics. Maybe if I had majored in something like creative writing, but I doubt I'd even be considered."

Rose shook her head as well. "You can also get a scholarship for Art, if that is the major that you wish to pursue. Keep in mind that you can also minor in English if you want some degree of experience with that."

Ella nodded thoughtfully. "I'll check it out. Thanks Rose."

"Don't mention it."

Dave glanced over at the clock. "It's eleven people we should probably hit the hay."

Everyone agreed and sleeping arrangements were made, placing the girls on one side of the room and the guys on the other, separated by the couch and coffee table. Jade came up with this, laughing as she explained her reasoning.

"So Ella and John will keep their hands off one another!"

The two of them agreed good-humoredly and they all got into their respective beds (Jade had to go change before they could even turn the lights off), and John was finally allowed to switch off the lights. They all drifted off quickly after a chorus of "good nights," exhausted from their day of excitement.

Ella was the first to wake the next morning; she had a built in alarm clock that woke her up at seven am sharp every morning, but good luck getting her up before that. She shuffled into the kitchen and took the liberty of poking around a bit. John woke to the smell of pancakes and eggs. He rolled out of bed and practically crawled into the kitchen, still half asleep. Ella set the plates of food on the table as he entered.

"Morning, glory."

He mumbled something ininteligible in return and went to the bathroom. John returned a few minutes later, looking a bit more awake. "So what's for breakfast?"

Ella laughed and handed him a plate. "Why don't you see for yourself?"

John set his plate down on the table and pulled Ella towards him, putting his hands on her waist. "We're actually alone for the first time."

She laughed again, wrapping her arms around his neck. "So we are."

John smiled and took off her glasses, setting them on the table beside his. He watched her hazel eyes as they turned a goldish brown color, reacting to the sudden change in sight. His hands returned to her hips as he pulled her even closer, causing her breath to hitch a little. Ella could already feel herself moving in, almost desperate for a kiss. She reflected that John was addicting, like chocolate or drugs, before her mind shut down and all that was left was his lips on hers. She felt a spark go down her spine and she buried her fingers in his hair, yanking him closer as she forced her tongue into his mouth. He growled sexily as his muscular arms trailed gently up her back, causing her to shiver at every touch. She moaned and kissed him all the harder. Ella brushed her tongue against John's, which coaxed a mighty shudder from him and made his fingers dig into her shoulders. They fellagainst the wall, each of them whimpering needily and moaning with pleasure as the kiss grew more and more passionate. John was the first to finally break away, breathing shallowly as he licked his lips. Ella traced a feather-light finger down his chest as she gazed at his muscular frame. He brushed the pad of his thumb across her jaw, which compelled her to look up at his face.

"You are a _really_ good kisser," he said hoarsely, laughing a little.

"I could say the same for you, Mr. Egbert," Ella replied, whispering. She buried her face in the crook between his neck and his bare shoulder, feeling his warmth as he draped his arms across her back. They sat there for a while before Ella climbed off of John and helped him to his feet.

"The food is probably cold by now..."

He shrugged. "I find myself without any shred of remorse about that."

Ella laughed and got herself a plate. She pulled out a chair next to John's as they talked and ate.

"How in the name of God did you get muscles like that?" she asked, nodding at his smooth chest.

He grinned at her. "Actually, I did some martial arts for a long time and that really whipped me into shape."

Ella snorted. "So did I, but I do not have abs like that."

John scraped the last of his scrambled eggs off his plate and shoved them into his mouth. "I'm working on my third degree black belt in Krav Maga," he said around the food. "I should hope that I have some muscles."

Ella laughed. "I'm still working on my first degree black in Taekwondo."

John raised an eyebrow. "And you claim you don't have muscles."

Ella smiled ruefully. "I'll wear a tank top today and you'll know exactly what I mean."

Just then, Rose walked in fully dressed and ready to go. "Hello you two. Still in your pajamas, I see."

Ella glanced at the clock. "I might be an early riser, but it's only 9 on a Saturday morning. Give us a break."

Rose smiled wisely. "Or maybe you two were just too preoccupied to dress properly."

They both turned red and shoveled food in their mouths so they wouldn't have to respond. Rose laughed quietly and went into the kitchen to serve herself some breakfast. She sat down next to Ella.

"I'm guessing this was Miss Stein's efforts?"

She nodded, relieved that the conversation had changed course. "Yeah, I was up early and I got bored."

Rose dipped her head towards her art loving friend. "Well it's very good, thank you."

Just then, Jade and Dave walked in with their hands wrapped around each other's waists. "Hey, something smells good." The coolkid sniffed the air experimentally. "What's for eats?"

John turned around and grinned at him. "Pancakes and eggs, courtesy of Ella."

Dave and Jade both got some food and sat down at the table. "Wow, this is really tasty! Thanks Ella!"

She smiled. "You are most welcome, friend."

They all proceeded to discuss college and their plans for the summer. There was a minorly major incident when Jade stole Dave's shades and ran around the kitchen with them as Dave tried to wrestle them away from her while his eyes were shut tight. Ella laid back against John's chest as she felt the vibrations from his laughter. _Life was good,_ she thought contently, joining in the laughter.

And it was.

**(Note: I. Love. Writing this. Really I do. Please tell me how I'm doing, I need some more reviews here people! Totally blown away by how fast this is moving, totally psyched about how many of you lovely readers are enjoying this. This chapter was a long one, sorry bout that. It got a little out of control. Just...wow dudes this is utterly amazing not to mention unexpected. If you're reading this,**_**please please please with a cherry on top**_**review, I love any input you have about it. Welp, I guess that's all for now! I cannot tell you what this means to me! ~kandyblood has fallen into an exhaustion-induced coma~)**


	7. In Which John Makes Ella Cry Again

**Note: Thanks so much everyone! Couldn't have done this without you! *Please hold, kandyblood is currently experiencing writer's block...* Ok, I think I'm good- an actual for real plot coming up in chapter 8, so don't give up hope just yet! Btw, I skipped a week or so between last chapter and this one. Homestuck and all characters but Ella and Cuz belong to Andrew Hussie, the other two belong to me. Enjoy!**

Ella strode into the kitchen and, to her extreme surprise, found Rose already up and making breakfast.

"Uh...sup Rose? What're you doing up so early?"

Rose smiled at her and pulled a tea strainer out of her mug. (Rose drank only whole leaf tea) "I was experiencing a touch of insomnia after waking up a bit early."

Ella nodded, satisfied with this explanation. She poured some oatmeal into a large glass bowl and started to pour milk in it before Rose stopped her.

"I think that Jade wanted to make breakfast today, so maybe we should wait for her. Would you like some tea?"

Ella shrugged. "Eh, sure why not."

Rose poured a mug of hot water and pit the tea strainer in. "I hope you don't mind chai?"

She looked at her eloquent friend in surprise. "Chai is my favorite, actually."

The lavender-eyed girl nodded. "I think you'll like this then, it's a new variety that I recently discovered. It's a green tea instead of a red one like most chai is."

Ella smiled. "That should be interesting."

There was a _thump_ and a muted _ouch!_ from the other room. Ella looked concerned and started for the door, but Rose held her back, smiling.

"I think whoever it was probably wants to be spared the embarrassment of being fussed over, don't you think?"

The black haired girl sighed. "Are you alright Rose? You're acting all...suspicious for some reason."

The blonde laughed and took the strainer out of the mug and handed it to Ella. "What would I be guilty of?"

She pushed her glasses up her nose, shrugging as she accepted the tea. She added two sugar cubes and stirred them in before bringing the mug to her lips.

"Mmmmmmmmm, where'd you get this?"

Ros just winked and sipped her own drink. "Secrets of the trade."

"The trade of what exactly?"

"The trade of being a proper member of society, of course."

Ella laughed and they launched into a lengthy discussion about the prices of tea over the past few years. About an hour later, someone came up behind her and blindfolded her. "Aaaaahhh! Not funny Egbert!"

John tied the blindfold and took her hand. "It's not supposed to be funny, it's supposed to be a surprise!" He pulled her to her feet and spun her around a few times before leading her into another room. Rose trailed silently behind them as John led her very confused friend into the living/bedroom. He removed the blindfold and Ella was greeted by an explosion of color and a mighty cheer of "SURPRISE!" The short girl looked up at John confusedly. "What the hell is going on here?!"

He hugged her around the waist and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Happy birthday Ella."

She felt a grin spread across her face. "You guys did this for me?" Ella asked, gesturing around her at the rainbow decorations and the dance floor in the middle of the room.

"Yup! You didn't really expect us to forget did you? It's not every day that one of your best friends turns eighteen!" Jad exclaimed, beaming.

Ella blushed. "Wow you guys, I don't know what to say! Thank you!"

John steered her over to an armchair and she sat down. "Okay, now what? And shouldn't we all like get dressed or something?"

Dave smirked. "It's time for presents and it's also a pajama party. Happy b-day."

Ella laughed. "You guys didn't have to get me anything!"

"Don't be ridiculous Ella, of course we did. It's your eighteenth birthday, the day when you come of age in our society. It's kind of a big deal," Rose said philosophically, handing her a flat, thin package off of a small pile in the middle of the room. It was well-wrapped in a pretty orange paper with a green ribbon. "From me," Rose added. Ella untied the ribbon and then hesitated.

"What's wrong Ella?" Jade asked, still bouncing up and down.

She coughed in embarrassment. "I have this...unusual way of unwrapping presents..."

Dave snorted. "Really? That's all? Just open it already dude."

The bespectacled birthday girl shrugged and commenced Operation Unwrap. She carefully removed all the tape, not ripping the paper. She then unfolded it the rest of the way which revealed a beautiful framed photograph of...a sunset over the ocean. Ella grinned at Rose and hugged the picture close to her chest.

"I love it! Thank you!"

The blonde girl smiled. "I thought you might."

John laughed suddenly. "That _is_ a weird way to unwrap things! Why do you do that anyway?"

Ella shrugged. "I dunno, that's just how I've always done it."

Jade elbowed John in the ribs. "I don't care how she does it as long as she opens mine next!"

Ella laughed as Rose handed her a large square box wrapped in the Sunday comics. She unwrapped it just as meticulously as Rose's and opened the box. "Oh my gosh thank you!" She pulled out a set of sketchbooks that are plain white on the cover so she can decorate them as she pleases. There was a small package beside them that, according to the box, is materials to laminate the covers once they are finished. Ella got up and hugged Jade, still smiling in delight. John quickly pushed her back into the chair and Rose handed her a small, cylindrical package wrapped in blue.

Ella unwrapped it carefully and a bottle of birth control pills fell into her hand. She turned red with anger and threw the bottle at Dave, who was laughing hysterically.

Jade and John both leapt up and started whacking him around the shoulders and head until he fell to the ground, still laughing.

Dave put up his hands in surrender. "Okay okay I'm sorry! How'd you know it was me, I even wrapped it in blue and everything!"

John punched him in the arm.

"Dude!"

Once the hubbub had died down, Dave handed her the real gift, which turned out to be an elegant silver necklace with a beatifully crafted dragon locket. When she opened it she could see the meticulously sized and edited picture of the five of them that Dave had put in for her.

"Wow Dave! When you're not being a complete jackass you really can be sweet!"

He acted all flattered, insisting that "it was nothing" and "you're too kind."

Rose went back to the pile and found...nothing. John smiled a little shyly and took Ella's hand. "My present isn't exactly something you can wrap."

After a lot of "OoOoO!"s and suggestive eyebrow wiggling, John stuck his tongue at the others and lead Ella into a room she hadn't noticed before, which had several chairs, a small table, and a grand piano. There was a laptop open on the table, and on the screen was a very familiar face.

"CUZ!"

"Hey kiddo. Happy birthday."

Ella laughed in delight and proceeded to chat happily with him for more than twenty minutes before ending the call. She hugged John happily.

"Thank you!"

John pushed her off gently and went over to the piano, which had a sheet of music already propped up against it. He took a deep breath and started playing, his fingers flying across the keys.

It was obvious what inspired the piece; the music ebbed and flowed like the waves and the tides as an underlying melody described the sea wind, the sand between your toes, the cries of the gulls, the boats on the water. Every note that was played by those nimble fingers screamed out the beauty of the ocean. Ella felt tears of joy streaming down her face as he finished, breathing peacefully and staring at the piano. She hugged him from the side, letting her silent tears soak into his shoulder.

"...That was beautiful," she murmured into him when she recovered.

John said nothing, just smiled and kissed her tenderly. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he pushed her back against the floor, straddling her hips as he explored her mouth with his tongue. Ella moaned with desire as she pulled him closer, twining her fingers in his thick, dark hair as she kissed him passionately. He ran a finger down her sternum and she shuddered, whimpering.

"Well well well. It looks like we weren't so far off after all."

They reluctantly broke apart, both giving Dave death glares.

"Is it your life mission to ruin moments, or is it just an uncanny talent of yours?" John asked, still on top of Ella.

Dave smirked. "Just a natural ability of mine."

John flipped him off and climbed off of his girlfriend, helping her up. Ella kicked Dave hard in the shins as they walked past him into the living room, where there was a huge chocolate cake sitting on the coffee table. Dave followed, grimacing at the pain in his leg.

"OoOoOoO! They're back, finally!" Jade exclaimed, smiling slyly.

John and Ella fixed her with their x2 Deathglare Combo, which shut her up but didn't stop her and Rose from exchanging pointed looks. The couple rolled their eyes and sat down together on the couch.

"Hey guys? Aren't we forgetting breakfast?"

Rose shook her head. "This is breakfast."

They shrugged and accepted pieces of cake from Jade, who had somehow fit eighteen candles onto Ella's slice.

"Make a wish!"

Ella thought for a moment and then smiled, blowing out all the candles in one breath. Once she had picked out all the candles, they all dug into their rather unconventional breakfast.

After they had finished and Dave had put the dishes in the sink, he got out his portable turntables and got the party started. It was the best dance party ever to hit this universe, even counting Junior prom. (Ella, having been a little depressed about not having a date, was tricked into drinking some spiked punch. It all went uphill from there)

That night, right before she fell asleep, Ella thought just three words:

_Best. Birthday. Ever._

She smiled into the pillow as she fell into the darkness of sleep.

**(Note: I know it's a little hurried and choppy, but **_**I finally finished it!**_** Yay! **_**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW**_** please! I want your opinion! ~kandyblood falls to her knees and begs her awesome wonderful amazing readers to please please please review her story~)**


	8. In Which Dave Makes A Confession

**Note: I'm actually doing this one on a real computer instead of my iPod! (*coughs* even though I should really be doing my summer homework...) Thanks to Ian's uncle for the idea for this chapter (omitting the zombie apocalypse, by the way) and thanks to Ian himself for helping me! I switched the POV around just a little so we could get some insight on Dave's thoughts. _PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE_ REVIEW! Please! I am not a god so I do not own Homestuck, that belongs to Hussie, and all of the characters but Ella and Cuz are his as well. So read & review people, I'm counting on you! :3**

Jade, Rose, and Ella were chatting cheerfully as they changed into their bathing suits. They had all decided to go to the beach the day after Ella's birthday, and the girls had shooed the boys out so they could change. Ella was wearing a modest dark blue one piece that accentuated her nearly nonexistent curves but wasn't in the least bit revealing. Jade was wearing a simple green bikini that matched her eyes and Rose was wearing a strapless one piece that was a golden yellow with a fashionable dark purple stripe.

As the three of them walked into the hallway together, John and Dave were having a serious discussion about mangrit and what the ladies liked. Dave said they liked dudes who were well built but not totally muscled out, but John said that any lady would go for a guy if he had a nice face (even if that meant he wasn't in the least bit ripped). They continued their bickering until they stepped out and saw three of the ladies in question tapping their feet impatiently in the hall.

John and Ella chatted comfortably with Rose as Dave and Jade walked a little ways in front of them. Though he was trying not to make it obvious, Dave was checking Jade out approvingly. He finally looked away blushing (that's right, Dave Strider was _blushing_!) after Jade caught him and gave him a hearty smack upside the head. John laughed at Dave, which broke the tension, and all five of them headed down the beach for some fun in the sun.

((-Hold on to your TARDIS people, because we are time travelling-))

*Two hours later*

John had tried to teach Ella how to build a sandcastle, but after a solid hour of hard work they had just given up. Ella felt like it was "ruining her artistic credibility" to use a bucket, but she just could not get it to stand up straight on its own. They had abandoned the sand to go play in the water like little kids, and they were both sopping wet and giggling hysterically in the shallows after another hour in the water. Jade and Dave had long since gotten out of the water and were now laying on towels on the sand, talking and laughing. Rose had fallen asleep reading so they had moved her to the shade of some nearby trees so she wouldn't get sunburned. Ella was sitting chin-deep in the abnormally calm water, laughing as John tried to make her stand up. He was grinning from ear to ear as he splashed her shamelessly.

Suddenly her hand hit something on the bottom of the ocean and she lifted it up for everyone to see.

"Hey guys! Look what I found!" She said, waving the conch shell in the air.

Dave turned on his side and looked at her through his aviators.

"Whoah, good job dude. You've found your first seashell."

"Oh shut up Dave you know I've never been to the beach before."

He just smirked and continued his conversation with Jade as John came up behind Ella and snatched the shell from her hands. She turned around and started to protest before she saw him with a hermit crab pinched determinedly on his fingers.

"Oww," he said softly, gritting his teeth.

Ella gasped and started to pry the crab off him, a non-stop string of apologies falling from her mouth. She finally managed to get the thing off and grabbed John's hand, examining it. Thankfully, the small crustacean didn't do any serious damage, but the skin was raised and bleeding in a few places.

"Oh my God John I'm sorry boy was that stupid are you okay? I'm sorry I'm an idiot oh God it's bleeding oh man."

He laughed and pulled his hand away, wincing ever so slightly. "I'm fine. It wasn't your fault, I thought that shell was empty too until it poked its little legs out. I meant to throw it back into the water, but I guess I just wasn't fast enough."

"I still feel awful! Let's go back to the house, I'll help you bind it up."

Just then, a dark and ominous looking cloud blocked the sun. The four of them that were still awake looked up, only to find that the whole sky was now a dark purplish mass of clouds. Jade pursed her lips worryingly and headed across the beach to wake Rose.

"Let's go inside you guys, that looks like a hurricane brewing if I ever saw one," she called over her shoulder as she shook their elegant friend awake.

Nobody noticed the slight furrowing of Dave's brow as he followed a worried Jade, a bleeding John, a fussing Ella, and a groggy Rose up the beach. He was oddly silent as they all piled into the living room and turned on the news.

-"...storm's coming in, it looks to be a nasty one. We advise you to take hurricane precautions as regulated by the National Weather Service, which includes..."-

Ella turned her attention away from the television and went to sit next to Dave.

"Strider? You alright there dude?"

He looked at her with that ever-present poker face of his, but his voice shook slightly when he answered. "I'm fine."

"...Are you afraid of storms, Dave?"

Dave hung his head and refused to meet Ella's eyes through his shades. "I'm not_ afraid_ of them, I just...don't like them, alright? Leave me the fuck alone."

She patted his back sympathetically and he flinched away. "It's not something to be ashamed of. Did I ever tell you that I absolutely _hate_ spiders? And I mean really, really hate. I've had nightmares about spiders crawling all over me and sinking their creepy little fang-y pincher things into me..." Ella shuddered at the memory. "Yeah. Anyway. The point is that everyone has those weird things and you just gotta pull through."

The coolkid glared up at her. "Fine. Whatever. That doesn't fix the fact that there's a huge-ass storm coming our way."

She shrugged.

"How bad can it be, man? You got us here, we'll distract you."

"...Fine," he muttered into his arm. "But maybe we should change out of our bathing suits first."

Ella laughed and conveyed Dave's message to the others. They all got changed into their pajamas (even though it was only two in the afternoon- it was Dave's request) and made a huge nest of blankets in the middle of the living room (John's request) so that they could wait out the storm. Jade assured them all that her house was completely hurricane-proofed after Poppop went through a bad storm and got paranoid, which eased everyone's fear a bit.

As they watched the news, the group of friends occasionally got up to get something to eat or go to the bathroom. They even switched on My Little Pony (which, it turned out, Ella liked in a totally unironic way) in order to take their red-eyed friend's mind off the howling wind and thunder that enveloped the house. Ella got out her laptop and began looking at the application process for Northwestern when her Pesterchum pinged.

-sweetBro [SB1] has begun pestering sarcasticBookworm [SB2]-

SB1: hey, kiddo. i heard about the hurricane and wanted to make sure you guys were a-ok.

SB2: Cuz? You have a Pesterchum?

SB1: eeyup. are ya gonna answer my question or what?

SB2: Yeah, were all fine, Daves freaking out a little.

SB1: wait, dave? the coolkid? distri -bros kid?

SB2: Um yeah. Whyd you call him Distri?

SB1: nothin', we used to know each other way back when.

SB2: Youll have to tell me more about that later. But yeah, everyones fine, Jades house is storm-proof, we are all awesome up in here.

SB1: great. talk to me later, kid.

SB2: Wait, one more thing.

SB2: Why is your handle sweetBro?

SB1: i dunno it was a comic i liked when i was a kid.

SB1: dir- dave's bro came up with some ideas for it but they never really happened, y'know?

SB1: i think i'm the only one who's ever read that comic of his.

SB2: Dude. Cuz. Dave used to write a comic called Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff.

SB1: what no way.

SB2: Yes way!

SB1: ...i am not sure whether to be encouraged or disturbed by that.

SB1: i gotta go talk to your little buddy's bro, k? ill talk to you later kiddo.

SB2: Kay, but you still got some explaining to do when I get home.

SB1: will do kid.

-sweetBro [SB1] has ceased pestering sarcasticBookworm [SB2]-

Ella looked up from her screen to find her friends staring at her.

"That was Cuz, making sure we're all okay."

"Oh, hey that's cool," Dave said a little shakily. He jumped and then winced as another crash of thunder shook the island.

"Hey, maybe we should all check our emails and stuff to make sure our Guardians don't worry either," John said thoughtfully.

After twenty minutes and much hysteria, they were four Guardians happier and five teenagers more exasperated.

They switched off My Little Pony (much to Ella's horror) and turned back to the news.

-"So it looks like all flights to and from Hawaii within the next two weeks have been cancelled due to the storm!"- a pretty blonde reporter lady said in a voice too cheerful to match the situation. -"All you vacationers out there have gotten a longer break than you expected, huh?"-

Ella stared at the screen, slack-jawed. John rubbed her shoulders comfortingly. "What's wrong?"

"This is my fault," she finally managed to whisper, and she was suddenly fixed by four surprised looks.

"How in bloody hell is this your fault again?" Dave said blankly.

"This was my wish. Yesterday. I wished we could stay longer."

She was met with silence. Rose finally broke it. "Ella, we are a superstition-free community here. This is simply an unfortunate coincidence."

Ella buried her head in John's shoulder.

"There are no such things as coincidences," she murmured softly so that the others had to strain to hear her. "Everything happens for a reason."

They glanced at each other uncertainly. It certainly did look that way, and now they were stuck with a depressed teen, two romantic couples, and a rather out-of-place Rose for another two weeks.

This day just got better and better, didn't it?

**(note: okay, i got totally sidetracked from my homework and gave a totally half-assed attempt at fixing my awful speech, which some acquaintances of mine have very kindly *tried* to edit for me. meh, just wasn't feelin it today sorry peeps. so this chapter is a little filler-y, but ya get what ya get and ya don't throw a fit so i guess you poor, poor fans are stuck with it. sorry about the late update, btw, but i am just so gogdamned busy lately! gotta get my portfolio done, take some art classes, get that summer hw done, take care of my religious stuff, do that service project, get a new haircut... whew. so enough of my bitching about my non existent life, please oh please review please. i even have a bribe for you: if i get enough reviews, positive _or_ negative, don't even care, i will make a human!stuck sequel to this. that's right, a sequel. there's my offer; take it or leave it. review! ~kandyblood makes puppy eyes at you, her wonderful reader~)**


	9. In Which The Author Leaves Ella Alone

**Note: Oh my gosh you amazing readers! Almost 400 views already for my first time fanfiction with an OC and everything! I was afraid you guys were gettin bored with Ella, so I decided to switch it up a little! Here ya go, a bit of a view back home. Decided to do it in second person based off an amazing fic by Darkfairiesdance, called The First Time You Saw Him. Check it out. Anyways, the Waste of Space (aka Andrew Hussie) created Homestuck and all the characters but Ella and Cuz, those are mine. This is also strongly based on a recent rp. Read and review, I'm still giving you guys a chance on that deal I made last chapter!**

Author== quit the boring stuff and switch the POV over to Cuz.

You are now Cuz. And man, did that kid grow up fast. One minute you're carrying her sleeping self up the stairs to her room and tucking her in; the next she's demanding to know about your ties with Dirk! Whoops, you mean Bro. Eh, fuck it, they're your thoughts anyway.

Anway. Back to Dirk. You haven't talked to any of your childhood friends for...well, a long time. But Dirk...Dirk was special. He was so cool while still being classy and smart. Goddamn he was smart- you always felt ignorant next to him. You really did try to be optimistic and happy for him when he started dating Jake...but even after they broke up you two were just further apart. And eventually, your daily talks dwindled to monthly, and then yearly, until finally they just stopped. You haven't heard from him since all five of you found the kids you would raise. Eighteen years you haven't talked to this dude, and yet you still had a crush bigger than the orange soda factory.

You picked up your phone again and steeled yourself.

-sweetBro [SB] has begun pestering timaeusTestified [TT]-

SB: wow, long time no see dude.

TT: Oh my god! Will? How long has it been, my bro?

You chuckle under your breath; he hasn't changed a bit.

SB: it is i, the best bro of your childhood. how's life man?

i mean, we've all got our own kids now! and they all met under some twisted circumstance over pesterchum like we did.

TT: They ain't exactly kids anymore bro. But it does seem like an out-fucking-rageous coincidence that they all met over Pesterchum like us.

SB: speaking of us, how're the others? we kind of lost touch after i moved to colorado with the kid.

TT: They're all fine. Roxy's drunk all the time, no surprise there, Jake moved to Egypt for an international range of experience of "adventure," and Janey is the head of Crockercorp.

SB: wow, that is totally expected for all of them. but what about you? how's my best bro?

TT: You know me. Lettin' loose my ill beats at clubs after midnight, covered in bitches on the off-nights, bein' incredibly cool, same old same old.

SB: that lonely, huh?

TT: It's just not the same without the lil' man around, y'know? And soon he'll be going off to college...

SB: yeah, i was just thinking about that. i call her kiddo and ruffle her hair and make fun of her, but she's really not a little kid anymore.

TT: I totally know where you're comin' from dude. Dave ain't thirteen anymore, he's got his own life and his own goals and I'm startin' to feel kinda useless.

SB: dirk strider? useless? no way man that will never happen.

TT: Haha, just like old times!

SB: yeah...old times.

TT: 'S the matter?

SB: ...i was remembering how we drifted apart after you started dating english.

TT: I was thinking about that, too.

TT: I'm sorry bro. I really, really am.

Well. Maybe he did change after all...

SB: i'm sorry too. i got so caught up in you and jake that i sorta just gave up on you.

TT: ...Why would you get caught up on Jake and I?

_Fuck._

SB: you guys were spending so much time together, i was being an idiot and was convinced you didn't have time for your best friend anymore.

SB: of course now i know i was being a blockhead.

TT: Will?

SB: yeah dirk?

T: Did you really think of us as best friends?

_Double fuck._ This is what you were talking about when you said Dirk was smart.

SB: ...yes. i was definitely just your best friend.

Shit, why don't you just hand him all your bitter, still romantic feelings on a silver platter? He can take down your goofy defenses like nobody else, and you hate it and love it at the same time.

TT: ...

SB: ...sooo...

TT: So.

Neither of you type anything for awhile. You because you're in the middle of a head-desk, Dirk because he's probably waiting for you to respond. Which is definitely a thing you are going to do. Finally you lift your head off your desk and you're hit with the best idea. Ever.

SB: hey dirk? maybe us grown ups should have a meet-up too.

TT: That is the best idea you've had all day. Where?

SB: ...i know roxy's place is pretty big... but i dunno how good of an idea that is.

TT: I think she can probably control herself.

TT: No matter how drunk she is, she's always been able to tell what's important.

SB: fair enough. now we just have to get rox to agree.

TT: She and I are practically siblings, she'll go for it. Plus she'd never pass up the chance for a party.

SB: also true. i guess i'll take care of janey and english.

TT: Naw, I'll get the Brit. You'll have your hands full with Crocker anyway.

SB: ok, i can handle that.

TT: Cool. I guess we can finally see each other again, huh?

SB: eeyup.

TT: Sugoi.

SB: dude who even says that.

TT: Oh dude you have no idea. This is only the beginning.

SB: oh joy.

TT: So much joy, just you wait. I guess we have some childhood friends to convince, huh?

SB: i guess we do.

TT: Sweet. See you later Will.

SB: yeah. lets do this.

TT: We're making this happen.

-timaeusTestified [TT] has ceased pestering sweetBro [SB]-

You laugh and sit back. Your name is Will Stein and you have a reunion to co-organize with your best bro. Whose heart is definitely going to be yours, damn it. If it is the last thing you do.

What could go wrong?

**(note: I hath completed chapter nine! Little change of scenery there, hope you liked that. Reviews, people! They are the currency that gets you a sequel. Though I guess that's a pretty weak bribe... Fuck it, just review alright? ~kandyblood smiles hopefully and goes to get her summer homework done~)**


	10. You know what? Ella: Be Comforted

**Note: Wow, I haven't updated in like four days... sorry to my poor, deprived, solitary fan. I start school tomorrow, so these updates will most likely be fewer and further between. But to make up for it, here's a chapter now! Maybe one tomorrow as well if I'm not completely swamped! (which I probably am) TO CLEAR THINGS UP: I do ship Dirk x Jake! I love that ship, it's one of my absolute favorites, don't hate me for Dirk x Will. But- if I get enough reviews saying you want me to switch it up a bit, I might be bribed into a little Gunblade. Also- y u no review? I need reviews! Please review! Disclaimer: I think you get the point, but Homestuck and all characters but Ella and Cuz belong to Lord Hussie.**

-John's POV-

Ella disentangled herself from the group and got to her feet. I guess my face showed what I was about to do, but Rose stopped me with a look that said, 'Just leave her alone, she needs her space.' So I relaxed and let her walk away from our little nest. My chest felt heavy as I watched her round the bend- I couldn't help but feel like I should have comforted her. I felt a shadow of dread around the corners of my mind. _What if it actually was her fault?_ I wonder, shaking my head slightly. _That's impossible, miracles don't happen in the real world. _But there was still that little worry that nagged at me in the back of my head.

I needed to do something- but what?

-Rose's POV-

Hm. Quite the interesting development, if I do say so myself. I am strictly one hundred percent a woman of science, but I must admit there was something a little off about this particular coincidence. What mattered most to me, however, was making sure that Ella didn't take this too hard. The best thing we could do for her was accept and welcome her into our circle even more; I was well aware that she felt a little out of place among us. Yes, what this called for was a good old-fashioned therapy session. I was happy to oblige, but we needed to give our friend some time alone for a few hours before we tried to help her.

-Dave's POV-

Okay, look. Just because I'm the coolest thing since Fluffer Nutters doesn't mean I don't care about my friends. And I guess I count Ella as a friend, even if we aren't that close. I'll admit it- I was worried that she'd beat herself up over this. Sure it looked bad, but come on. A birthday wish causing a hurricane? Get. Real. But John would probably kill me if I said that to her face, plus the chick didn't judge me for the totally uncool storm thing. So that's not something I'm going to say out loud any time soon. But the question is, what _should_ I say? It would be totally ironic if I tried to comfort her or some shit like that, but again we're not that close and the others would think I was a tool. Because they just don't get irony. But I can't have done nothing...bluh, this shit was fucked up.

-Jade's POV-

Oh no! I had to do something! But I wasn't the right person to help her...Rose had that psychoanalysis glint to her eye, John looked worried sick, and Dave... was Dave. I thought she just needed a friend to give her some hugs and reassuring words, but I was sure that the others would shoot me down. Maybe we could all just approach her in our own ways...I was pretty sure that would do a lot of good. The problem was getting them to agree...

-Ella's POV-

I. Am. Such. A screw-up. I am the screw-up. It is me. People could _die_ because of my idiotic birthday wish. I knew that sounded far-fetched, but stuff like this doesn't just _happen._ It doesn't work that way. I worried and picked at it as I walked out of the room before I started crying in front of the others, and without realizing it I walked into the room with the piano. I curled up in a chair and let silent tears run down my pitiful cheeks. I really hoped no one came looking for me because I didn't want any of them to see me cry. As stupid as that is.

The storm had sort of faded into the background until I saw a fork of lightning out the window and the lights flickered and died. Thunder boomed with an almighty _crash_ a few seconds later, making me jump even though I was expecting it. Great. Now I was in tears _and _the power was out. I curled in on myself tighter, not caring that my muscles were going to be very cramped after this ordeal. I felt my gritty eyes close as I sank into an exhausted slumber.

~~~~~_five hours later~~~~~_

They had decided to go along with Jade's idea of approaching her separately, starting with Dave and ending with John. Rose would go second and Jade would go directly before John. Dave picked himself up and brushed off his already spotless jeans, steeling himself for what was to come.

He'd have to show emotion.

He searched the hallway that he had seen Ella leave through, poking his head into rooms and finally spotting her (still sleeping uneasily) in the Piano Room. He knocked gently on the door frame.

"Ella?"

Her eyes fluttered open as she looked at him blearily.

"Mmm?"

"Are you okay?"

Her eyes narrowed at him suspiciously. Was this irony? Because this stunk to the high heavens of insincerity. Dave obviously caught her look, because he shook his head seriously.

"Nope. This is legit concern."

Ella nodded warily and pulled herself up into a sitting position, wincing. She had been right about the muscles.

"...Not exactly, but for all intents and purposes let's say I am."

"Alright, cool. Here, I brought you something."

"It better not be anything like my birthday present, or I'll do a lot more than just throw it at you."

He chuckled. "No, nothing like that."

"Okay, so what is it?"

He took his hand out from behind his back and tossed her something.

"Catch."

She caught it. "My sketchbook? What for?"

"Dunno, I thought drawing might make you feel a little better."

"...Wow, thanks Dave. That's...surprisingly thoughtful of you."

"No prob. Oh, and don't let Rose do her psycho thing on you too hard, kay?"

Ella couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Okay."

Dave nodded at her and went back to the living room, pointing at Rose.

"You're up, Dr. Lalonde."

She smiled sarcastically at him and got up gracefully, clutching a clipboard to her chest.

"Thank you, Mr. Strider. I will be with her shortly."

"She's in the room with the piano, fourth door on your right."

Rose simply nodded in acknowledgement and walked down the hall in a very ladylike manner, still holding her clipboard. She went in to find Ella stretching and wincing as she loosened her stiff muscles.

"Ow! Hi Rose. You here to examine my brains?"

"In a way, yes."

Ella rolled her eyes and gestured to the seat across from her. "Please, sit down. Would you like something to drink?" she asked sarcastically.

The other girl gave her a dry smile. "I believe I am the one who should be asking you if you would like a beverage, given as you are currently my patient."

"Well you better hurry before my patience runs out."

Rose chuckled and sat down. "Try to bear with me. Why are you blaming yourself for this natural occurrence of nature?"

"Because this is way too fishy to be an accident and everything happens for a reason," Ella said without hesitation.

"Are you afraid that we would think less of you if, in fact, this was your fault?"

"...Maybe a little."

She smiled reassuringly at her bespectacled friend. "We would never push you away, Ella. I know you are insecure about fitting in with us, but you have nothing to worry about. You are part of our group and we don't plan to change that any time soon."

Ella looked at the ground and nodded, obviously not reassured.

"What I suggest is talking to John about this."

She snapped her head up, looking confused.

"You obviously trust him a lot and I believe that expressing your feeling to someone who you really and truly trust is among the best kinds of therapy."

"I trust you, Rose."

"Not the same way that you trust Mr. Egbert. If you are not comfortable talking to him, perhaps your cousin could be of assistance."

She nodded thoughtfully and fingered the edge of her notebook. "Thanks, I might do that."

The purple-eyed blonde just smiled and rose elegantly from her chair. "I'll send Jade in."

"Okay..."

Rose tossed the flashlight to Jade, who caught it deftly and bounced to her feet. She skipped cheerfully down the hallway and poked her head in the room where Ella was drawing to calm herself down.

"Hi."

She didn't look up. "Hey," she murmured softly as she drew a careful line.

Jade went over and hugged her unexpectedly. Ella jolted with surprise and looked up at her best friend. "Jade. What are you doing."

"Hugging you."

"I see that. Why?"

"Because you looked like you needed a hug. Oh, don't look at me like that, you did!"

The short teen sighed and allowed Jade to hug her. "Fine. But just this once."

She released her and sat in the chair that was next to Ella's, smiling a little. "You're such a grumpypuss sometimes."

"Hmph. Maybe I am."

Jade laughed. "I just wanted to say that it's not your fault. Nope! Don't start! It is not your fault and that is final. I like fantasy as much as the next gal but this is just ridiculous."

"...I still feel responsible, somehow."

"Nope! Not. Your. Fault!"

Ella laughed. "Okay, Mistress Harley. It is not my fault that my birthday wish caused a huge hurricane."

"Stop saying that!"

"Fine, fine. You win."

"Good. I will now leave you alone with John."

"We are not fucking!" Ella called after her as she left the room. "Goddamn it Jade," she muttered as the girl giggled and left.

"Okay John, you're up! Knock her socks off!"

"And maybe more than her socks," Dave said seductively. John shot him a dirty look and went into the Piano Room. All he could see of Ella was her feet; she appeared to be on her back on the opposite side of the chair with her legs propped up on the armrest.

"Um...what are you doing?"

"Being upside down in the dark. What does it look like I'm doing?"

He chuckled and walked over, sitting in the chair. "Being a doofus?"

"Hm. I guess I can see how you might think that."

He laughed again and tickled her bare feet.

The power came back on just as Ella started giggling uncontrollably and the feet disappeared from John's line of vision. A second later, her smiling face popped up over the edge of the chair.

-John's POV-

Man, how could I possibly have thought that it was her fault? I would die for that grin. It sucks that she doesn't smile at me like that...all the time. I wanted _all__ the adorable smiles. Right. Then._

-Ella's POV-

God. Holy fucking Lord. I did not deserve that much hotness. I still don't deserve that much hotness. God John why are you so goddamn _hot_?!

She stood up all the way (which isn't saying much) and poked John in the ribs.

"Scoot."

He obliged, moving over so that Ella could cuddle up next to him in the over large armchair. She rested her head against his bare chest and tucked her legs up under her, sighing contently. John pulled her into a hug and they sat there wordlessly for what could have been ten minutes or an hour. The tiny girl started to purr softly against his chest and he grinned, scratching her behind the ears. The hum grew a little louder as he cuddled her as one might cuddle a cat.

Ella finally looked up at him, her eyes half-lidded and a sort of greenish gold color. John admired them and took off her huge bug-eye glasses so he could see them more clearly. She allowed this, though she tensed a little against his side.

"Relax, I just want to see your eyes," he said softly, brushing away her bangs. They were always falling into her eyes, no matter how hard she tried to control them. All she did was look at him with those big, color-changing eyes.

Ella jerked backwards slightly in surprise when his lips met hers. She closed her eyes and let him kiss her, snaking her hands around his neck and burying them in his hair. John broke away and looked into her eyes for a second before moving slowly down to the base of her neck. Ella felt a tiny presure on her skin as he started nibbling her neck in the _sexiest_ way. She let out a small noise and he started sucking on it gently. She shivered and moaned a little. John smiled into the crook of her neck as he proceded to leave a little line of hickeys up to her jaw, exciting several small whines and needy shimmers from her as he went. He pulled away again and stroked her flushed, freckled cheek with the pad of his thumb as he sat transfixed by her eyes, which were slowly turning a rich shade of reddish brown.

"Wow," John whispered huskily as he saw Ella blush. "Your eyes..."

"Yeah, I know, they're probably turning that freaky red color," she mumbled, looking away.

"It's not freaky! It's cool."

"John, I don't like empty compliments. I know they're freaky, I've seen them myself and they are definitely very creepy."

He nuzzled her neck. "Nothing about you could ever be creepy."

She turned red and squirmed shyly. He smiled at her and kissed her deeply, long and slow, leaving her head spinning and her lips buzzing pleasantly. She pulled him back again, breathlessly wanting more. He felt his heart beating like a drum as he cupped her face with his hand and flicked his tongue over her lips. John felt the corners of her mouth twitch upwards against his. Ella opened her mouth and let him explore with his tongue. She shuddered and moaned, spreading her spindly artist's fingers across his chest. He pulled her closer and let his tongue slide out of her mouth. He kissed her once, soft and tender, before breaking away. She shook like a leaf in his arms, flushed and panting. He was sure he looked the same or worse, but he didn't give a flying feathery fuck. All that mattered was Ella and the knot that had been untied in both their chests.

**Note: Wow do I leave a lot of notes. This is such a long chapter, and I am ust shamelessly ruining the moment. Reviews can be cashed in for a sequel, but only if the leprechaun gets her gold! ~kandyblood wiggles her eyebrows hopefully and exits~**


	11. Everyone: Be Fluffy And Sweet

**Note: I no longer have a way to update this without an actual computer, so expect to see only occasional updates. Perhaps once a week if you're lucky, once a month if you're not. I am truly sorry everyone. I really do enjoy writing this and it's all you amazing readers that make it possible. So here's a chapter now, I know it's a little fluffy and SUPER filler-y, but I had a touch of writer's block. :( I love you all, don't give up! Keep on reading and keep on reviewing, my double two-for-the-price-of-one offer still stands! So here it is, my lovelies, and make sure to REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW. Homestuck and all characters belong to Hussie except for Ella and Cuz who are mine.**

Ella and John walked back into the living room, both of them looking much more at peace. Jade, Rose, and Dave said nothing; they only smiled and scooted over so that the pair of them could settle back down in the blanket pile. They obliged, Ella resting her head on John's chest as the five friends sat in comfortable silence. The calm was disrupted as a sudden, powerful wind whistled across the windows. Trees bent under the weight of the storm and another crash of thunder shook the house. Dave grimaced and curled up tighter, leaning his head slightly towards Jade. She smiled sympathetically and wrapped her arms around him comfortingly.

Rose switched on the TV again to distract them, much to everyone's relief.

"-This is one of our more minor storms this year, actually. Only a category one, if you can believe it!-" said the newscaster. "-Not too much damage at all, the worst anyone will suffer is probably a blown-over RV or maybe some damage to their trees.-"

Jade snuggled Dave a little closer. "See? We'll all be fine."

He smirked (a little bit shakily) up at her. "What? I wasn't worried for a second."

"Sure you weren't, Strider."

He just rolled his eyes and settled back against Jade.

"Oh man Jade, your shoulder is really soft."

"Dave! That's not something you say!" Jade giggled, poking his cheek.

He sighed in mock exasperation and made a point of being as obnoxious as possible with his shoulder- leaning. Jade pretended to be mad, but they all knew that she really wasn't.

"Geez guys, will you just get together already?" Ella drawled lazily from her place on John's chest.

Dave shrugged and reached his arms up, cupping Jade's face in his hands as he pulled her down for a kiss. She blushed scarlet with surprise and embarrassment, but she didn't pull away.

Rose, John, and Ella gave their various nods, chuckles, and exclamations of approval as Dave broke away, grinning lopsidedly at Jade. The green-eyed girl smiled, still a little pink, and twisted a finger in Dave's hair.

John scratched Ella behind the ear as he had done before, causing her to purr a little. "Well? Do I get a kiss or what?"

She opened her slitted eyes slightly and squinted up at him. "Mmmmmm, maybe later…"

Rose looked on thoughtfully. She knew that she should probably feel more out-of-place, but for some reason she felt completely comfortable around her romantic friends. A smile quirked her lips as she imagined Kanaya as part of their group; _that_ would end well. A small laugh escaped her mouth as she thought about her friends' reactions to the prank she was about to pull.

The two couples were oblivious to her scheming and they all fell asleep eventually, around 11:00 pm. They were all still in the pile, John's arms wrapped around Ella as she used him as a pillow, and Dave curled up around Jade. Rose was the last to fall asleep, so she had actually bothered to drag over a mattress and sleep properly. Darkness descended over Jade's island as the storm continued to batter it.

-_the next morning—_

-sweetBro [SB1] has begun pestering sarcasticBookworm [SB2]—

SB1: hey kiddo.

SB2: Oh hey Cuz. Sup?

SB1: y'know how i said that i know dave's big bro?

SB2: Yeeeaaahhh….?

SB1: well i talked to him and us grown ups are gonna have a reunion.

SB2: Cool story bro. How is this relevant to us?

SB1: we've got plenty of room over here at rox- rose's house.

SB1: so we figured, hey why not invite the kids over and we can all just be one happy family or whatever before you hooligans skip off the college.

SB2: Thats chill with me. Hold on.

"Hey you guys! The Guardians are having a get-together at Rose's house and they're inviting us to come!"

"Okay."

"Cool."

"Whatever, why not."

"Why wasn't I informed of this?"

"So that's a 'yes'?"

"Yes!"

SB2: Were in. But we cant leave Hawaii for two weeks, so you poor old folks are gonna have to wait a bit.

SB1: im sure well manage.

SB1: see ya in a couple weeks kid.

-sweetBro [SB1] has ceased pestering sarcasticBookworm [SB2]—

Welp. It was decided. They would all be living together with their Guardians for the next two months! Ella turned this over in her head as she picked up her sketchbook and started doodling absently. Maybe this could be interesting after all.

**Note: So there it is! Reviews, people, that's what fuels this train wreck!**


	12. Ella: Have A Breakdown

**Note: Oh my Lord. I am sooooo tired... and we had some confusion with my email so that's partly why this took me so long. Other part is that I just started school and haven't really had time to even be _on_ the computer, much less write any more of this. So this is basically a role play I had with my kismesis/best friend (even though the rp was with my fan troll...shmeah). R&R, I am still thirsty for reviews! (this means you, Mr. moirail/matesprit!) Also: thanks to anyone who favorited, followed, or reviewed this story, I love you all! Lastly, you know who owns Homestuck and it sure as hell ain't me.  
**

_~~~~~three days later~~~~~_

Ella woke to a slightly odd, uncomfortable feeling in the back of her skull. She blinked and got up, groaning slightly as a wave of dizziness hit her. She stumbled into the kitchen and got quite a shock when she found all of her friends already up.

"Whoah, who realigned the planets? What're you all doing up?"

"Ella? It's almost eleven," John said, his face scrunched up in a look of (adorable) concern.

She stared at him. "...That's not possible. I always wake up at seven."

"Yeah, we know...we were worried but we didn't want to wake you so we kinda just let you sleep," said Jade as she dried her hands on a towel. "What's the matter with waking up a little late, though?"

Ella's expression darkened rapidly. "It's like clockwork. Ever since I was a toddler, I woke up at seven on the dot every single day. You think...you think there might be something wrong with me?"

"Nah, you're overreacting dude. So you woke up a little late. Big deal, it's not the end of the world," Dave replied, shrugging.

Rose nodded. "I agree with Dave. An interrupted sleep pattern is nothing to get worked up over unless you start having trouble sleeping at night, in which case you may have insomnia or some other sleep-related condition. Best not to get worried."

The short girl shrugged and sat down at the table. "Well in any case, I'm starving. What's the food status?"

Jade giggled. "You sound like you're asking for a progress report on some secret mission or something. We just finished all the bacon, but we still have toast and a couple pancakes."

"Non-Betty Crocker, of course," John added in seriously.

Dave rolled his eyes but Ella nodded solemnly. "She's evil, dude. So evil."

"You got that right. See, Dave? It's not just me."

"Whatever dude, girlfriends don't count."

"Ugh! I take offense to that, Strider!"

"Yeah whatever."

Jade interrupted the verbal battle by setting a plate of cold pancakes and buttered toast in front of Ella. "Breakfast is served, m'lady."

She laughed. "Oh come on, I am the polar opposite of a lady. I hate skirts and absolutely refuse to wear makeup, and I don't paint my nails or bother being all graceful or whatever and I definitely don't do fashion. You wanna see a lady? Look at Rose."

Rose thanked her daintily (very lady-like) and Jade laughed again.

"Just eat the food so we can get to work."

After waiting impatiently for their friend, the four others informed Ella that they would be helping Jade clean up after the hurricane. She got dressed quickly and the island was divided up into sections to make cleaning easier. Ella, John, and Dave set out together on one half of the island while Rose and Jade took the other half.

* * *

Ella dumped her armful of branches onto the ever-growing pile next to the house, wiping sweat from her forehead. The uncomfortable feeling in the back of her skull had been bothering her all day, and she decided it was time for a rest. She collapsed against the wall of the house and let herself relax, sighing in relief.

Suddenly, a searing pain split through her thoughts and she gasped, bolting upright and clutching her head. The white-hot pain continued, building behind her eyes and pooling in the front of her brain. The pain was intense, so bad that she saw her vision blink on and off and felt tears rolling down her cheeks. Far from relenting, the headache only intensified as it blotted out her vision completely. She barely registered that someone was screaming and not until later did she realize that it was her. Strong hands picked her up and a soft voice was murmuring comforting words that she could no longer understand. The screaming stopped as she felt herself being carried at a jog towards Jade's house, but that's all she had time to think before another wave hit her mind and she blacked out.

* * *

Ella woke up in the living room, her vision tinted red and her head throbbing. She let out a soft moan as the ache persisted, permeating her thoughts. A blurry figure was leaning over her, speaking words that she couldn't quite make out. She moaned again and sank back into the abyss of sleep.

A few hours later, she came around again. This time her head was quite clear and she could hear voices coming from the other side of the door. The room was still blurry, but she fixed that by feeling around blindly for her glasses and shoving them on her face. She sighed softly as the room came into focus.

Ella rolled off the couch and got to her feet. She tottered into the other room and was greeted by a tight hug from John, who had tear tracks on his cheeks and on his glasses. Ella awkwardly patted him on the back as she looked around at the others.

"What's all the fuss?" she asked hoarsely after her vocal chords decided to cooperate.

"Ella, you collapsed a few hours ago after a fit of screaming and clutching your head. You passed out," Rose said, her face a mask of concern. Dave and Jade nodded in agreement, both of them exhibiting various states of worry.

She blinked at them over John's shoulder. "I'm okay now guys, really."

"No you're not! We're going to get you taken care of by a professional as soon as we can get a boat to the mainland!" Jade insisted, accentuating her point by stamping her foot.

Ella stepped away from John hastily, her eyes wide and her head shaking vehemently back and forth. "Nope nope nope, no hospitals. Sorry, no deal, not happening, no way Jose are you getting me into one of those chambers of medical torture."

"Shhh, we won't make you go to a hospital. Jade's normal doctor already agreed to give you a quick check-up," John reassured her soothingly. Ella relaxed a little and allowed him to pull her back into a hug. The other three crowded around to make a group hug, Dave somehow managing it without looking uncool. Ella felt suppressed tears sting her eyes as she regarded her friends gratefully, burying her face in John's hoodie so they wouldn't see her cry.

"Thank you, guys... Thank you..."

The four of them exchanged anxious glances over her head, just one thought turning itself over and over in their minds:

_Will she be okay?_

**Note: Welp, it turns out that I can write much more quickly when my plot actually has a purpose. I'm sorry that Ella gets all the attention, really I am, that wasn't on purpose at all. The others will get some of the spotlight, too, I promise. Until then, reviews are much needed! I need to know how I'm doing on this people! Even something as simple as "good" or "_blank_ needs fixing" is helpful. Review! ~kandyblood has officially zoned out~**


	13. Calliope: Diagnose Ella

**Note: Oh my god, has it really been two whole weeks?! I'm so sorry guys! I really need my own computer... Well, I finally got to writing it and here it is. Hopefully it's more of a plot... pffthahaha, who am I kidding. Plot? What plot? Yeah, anyway... R&R! You guys who have faved, followed, or reviewed this are my angels. I love you all in the purest, most platonic sense possible. [insert heart emoticon here] So keep those reviews coming, anything and everything is welcome! Oh yeah and I don't own Homestuck.**

Ella fidgeted nervously in the back seat of the cab, squished between John and Rose. Jade was between Rose and the door, and Dave had claimed the front seat.

I hindsight, maybe they should have gotten two cabs…

They pulled up to a small white building with colorful decorations on the doorway and roof. Jade tumbled out of the back seat, paid the driver, and gestured for everyone to get out.

One clown car-like scene and a few bruises later, the five friends were in the lobby of Jade's doctor's office. Ella was jittery and nervous, taking to pacing while the others sat down. The receptionist smiled kindly at her, but Ella was much to agitated to notice or care. After what seemed like a millennia, the nurse opened to door and poked her head out.

"Ella?"

She snapped her head up to look at the nurse and walked toward her shakily. John caught her hand as she walked past, but she looked back and nodded reassuringly at him. His brow wrinkled in concern, but he broke the contact and watched her disappear into the office.

She sat on the exam table, wishing she had something to distract her as the nurse made small talk, asking her questions like, "What school do you go to?" and "Where are you from?" Ella responded shortly to every question. God, she hated doctor's offices. Finally, the doctor strode in and bade the chatty nurse to leave. She turned to Ella and stuck out her hand.

"Pleased to meet you. My name is Dr. Umbra, but please just call me Calliope," she said in a pleasing British accent. Ella nodded numbly and shook her hand.

"I'm Ella."

"Well, hello Ella. I hope this isn't serious?"

"Um. Well…I was helping Jade clean up after the hurricane…"

Calliope nodded encouragingly, not taking notes or even attempting to be professional.

"And my head had been hurting… I thought it was just dehydration or something…so I sat down to rest. But as soon as I let myself relax…"

"Yes?"

"I got this…uh…thing…"

"What kind of thing?"

"Well, my head started throbbing, and this pain seared across my brain…and then the pain just sorta intensified till it blacked out my vision...so yeah..."

"Do you know how long you were out?"

"Umm. Well, I think it was a couple hours until I woke up again, but I was only concious for a few minutes before passing out again. The second time was probably longer, maybe four hours all together?"

Calliope pursed her lips and sat on the exam table with Ella. "Well, I have never heard anything like it. It could be a severe case of chronic migraines, but I doubt that since you've never had this before. Worst case scenario, it's a brain tumor. Best case, it was just a really bad headache."

"S-so...how are we going to f-find out?" Ella stuttered, looking alarmed.

"Well dear, we're going to have to do a CAT scan and see what we can find. If this is a tumor, we need to kill it now while it hasn't affected you too badly. If it's not, well jolly good, we need to know how to treat you for it. Sound good?"

"Y-yeah..."

The doctor put her hand on Ella's knee. "It's quite alright, we know what we're doing. You try to relax, we'll do our job. Deal?"

"...Deal."

"Good. Come this way and we'll get that scan out of the way, shall we?"

"Um, sure, but can I tell my friends what's happening?"

"Of course dearie, there's no rush."

"Thank you Dr... er, Calliope."

The other woman beamed and allowed her to leave.

* * *

"Hey, guys..."

Her friends looked up with concerned looks on their faces.

"Well?"

"We...don't know yet. They're gonna do a CAT scan to check if it's a tumor, in which case I'll probably have to..." Ella swallowed. "I'll have to go to the hospital for treatment. If not, they need to know how to treat it. Just wanted to let you know."

The four of them nodded and gave her a big group hug. Even Dave, though that may have just been ironic. Ella smiled at them and slipped back to Calliope, who was waiting patiently at the door of the X-Ray room.

"Ah, there you are! Just step in here and we'll get that scan!"

"Okay."

Ella stepped into the room and was immediately forced onto a rolling bed that was almost like a stretcher. She took deep breaths and tried to relax as she saw Calliope go behind the thick glass and start flipping switches. The doctor and the nurse that were in the room with her rolled the bed over to a tube-like contraption and rolled her inside. She lost sight of Calliope as her head disappeared into the scanner. The two other medical employees left, leaving Ella by herself in the room. The machine around her started making some very scary sounds and she struggled not to hyperventilate. Ten terrifying minutes later, she heard the click of Calliope's heels as she came over to the machine and rolled Ella's bed out of it. Her usually cheerful face was drawn into a deep and troubled frown, her brow creased and her eyes shining with concern.

"Go get your friends, dear. You all need to see this."

**And there it is. Reviews are very much loved. ~kandyblood, over and out~**


	14. Ella: Painful Flashback

**Note: Oh god...I am the terrible author, it is me. I've been working on this castle!stuck fanfiction and have totally neglected this one! And I was writing some of this ****on an empty stomach...fasting for Yom Kippur...I'm sorry. And it's been sooooooo long sonce I updated... sorry again... And I don't own Homestuck.**

Ella stuck her head out from the door, her eyes big and scared. Her voice shook as she called to her friends.

"Guys? The doctor found...something."

They were on their feet in an instant and followed her to where Calliope was waiting. Ella numbly registered that John had grabbed her hand and she smiled at him shakily. He just squeezed her hand reassuringly and faced toward Calliope.

"Well...I found something that I think you all need to see. Follow me, please."

The gang was lead into a dark room with an x-ray display in it. Calliope put in the x-ray and lit the light behind it, illuminating the image.

"What we're looking at here is some sort of... well, we're not exactly sure." She pointed to a small spot on the screen that was just slightly darker than the rest of the picture. "We don't think this is a tumor, and Ella is perfectly healthy except for this little spot. It's unlike anything I've seen before in my career, but we'll send it to some specialists for examination. In the mean time...the best guess I have is that this is a ruptured blood vessel or a spot where the brain somehow got inflamed, causing the discoloration and Ella's...attack. However, this could very well be a mild early stage of brain cancer, in which case we need you to stay at the hospital until we can confirm our suspicions."

Ella turned white as a ghost and started shaking her head violently. John translated for her.

"Um...Miss Doctor? Ella's not on the best terms with hospitals..."

Calliope gave Ella a sympathetic look. "Obviously. I'm terribly sorry, dear, but it needs to be done just in case it _is_ cancer."

Dave spoke up unexpectedly. "Sorry dude, I don't think we can do that."

"Please, you must. It may be a matter of life and death that you are at the hospital as soon as we recognize what caused this breakdown. It won't be for long if it isn't a tumor, but we need you to be prepared," Calliope said pleadingly as she shot Ella a worried glance.

John and Jade both jumped to their feet and started talking at once. Dave crossed his arms, and Rose looked genuinely concerned. After silently surveying the situation for a few moments, Ella stood and held up a hand for silence. Immediately everyone stopped talking and looked at her. She was looking down at her toes, her hair covering her face, as she shakily said the words that nobody expected to hear.

"I'll go. If it's really that important I'll go. But none of you are allowed to leave me there alone, even at night. Is that possible, Calliope?"

"Er...normally, no, but I'm sure I can get a word in for them to make an exception."

"Thank you."

The four of them just stood there, shocked, and watched Ella sit back down. Her expression was still covered by her bent head and her hair, but they all knew that she could cry any moment. Wordlessly, Dave put a hand on her shoulder and Rose took her hand. Jade rubbed her back soothingly, and John bent down to kiss the top of her head. Calliope watched silently, looking very sorry that she had to put Ella through all this.

After a minute or two of dead silence, Ella lifted her head, thanked Calliope for helping, and opened the door with a trembling hand. The five of them walked out of the exam room in a somber procession.

Ella felt like she was moving through molasses; she tried not to think of what she just consented to. She shuddered at a memory that hit her like a truck as she failed to avoid thinking about it.

~~_flashback~~_

_The world was a blur of voices and pain. She could hear someone crying, felt tears on her cheeks and realized it was her. She couldn't think, couldn't move. Suddenly her body was being lifted, and she tried to struggle against it. A familiar voice, her cousin's voice, broke through the fog and told her to calm down, it was going to be alright. She trusted that voice. Her cousin wouldn't lie to her, he was like a father to her. She allowed herself to be carried, saw the blurred outline of an ambulance and the world went dark. She heard a muffled siren and felt a lurch; she must be in the ambulance. She numbly registered that her cousin was holding her hand, constantly reassuring her. Then she was in a hospital, blinding white light shining all around. Her wrist stung; she looked down at a needle poking from her skin. She was being wheeled around, there was shouting, so many people, pressing in on her, everything hurt, she was crying, it was all too much. The last thing she heard was the choked voice of her cousin asking if she would live before the world blacked out around her._

Rose shook her from the memory.

"What were you thinking about?"

Ella took a long time to answer. When she finally did, her voice was soft and sad.

"The day my parents died in a car crash. I was lucky to have survived."

"Is that why you're unwilling to go to the hospital?"

She hesitated before nodding slowly.

"I'm sorry to hear that...I'm sure that everything will be fine."

"Thanks, Rose..."

Ella wiped tears from her eyes and got into the cab that had been there for who-knows-how-long, listening as John asked the cab driver to take them to that dreaded place of pain and fear and sorrow and loss.


	15. Everyone: Go to the Hospital

**Note: My god I update slowly these days. I'm having a bit of trouble getting where I want to be, not to mention that my life has been craaaaaaaaazy lately. I've been kind of discouraged about this whole fic, I want to fix it so much but I just don't have any time and it's kinda bad and awkwardly paced and i just...want to change it. :( Thanks to whostuck123 for your criticism and compliments, it helps a lot. Ummm... here it is, after much delay. I know it's choppy but again, I have little time to do this anymore. So yeah. Homestuck doesn't belong to me, because why on earth would I write a fanfic for something I created? I wouldn't. Duh.**

The atmosphere in the waiting room didn't fit Ella's idea of a hospital at all. It should be a cold white room with wooden chairs and sad people, not this brightly colored place full of art and... cheerfulness. She got a sudden surge of confidence and approached the man at the desk.

"Excuse me?" Ella spoke much quieter than she expected, but the man looked down at her through his spectacles and smiled.

"Yes, how may I help you?"

"I'm Ella Stein, here for...something related to staying here."

He turned his attention to his computer and typed in a quick search. "Ah, here you are. Temporary residence?"

"Th-that sounds right."

"Excellent. Fourth floor, room 413 on your left. Please make yourself comfortable, a nurse will be in shortly to talk things over with you."

"Thank you."

Ella nodded her head towards the elevator and they all piled in with a weary-looking nurse who didn't give them a second glance. Ella pushed the button and the five of them waited in silence until they reached the fourth floor. They got out and left the nurse to go about his business. The room was easy to find, a short way down the hall on the left just as the man at the desk had told them. Ella opened the door apprehensively and was surprised and rather pleased by what she saw. The room was large, with a small television against the wall and a bed with white hospital sheets in the corner. There were plenty of chairs for visitors, a small dresser, and one little bedside table.

Ella sat down heavily on the bed and put her face in her hands. John sat next to her and hugged her; Jade joined in as well. Rose looked on sympathetically and even Dave looked a bit concerned.

"Shoooooooosh, it'll be okay," John said comfortingly as he rubbed her back. Jade nodded in agreement and Rose knelt down on the floor in front of Ella so that they could see each other's faces.

"Ella? Do you want me to contact your guardian? Perhaps it would be best for him to come here to see you."

Ella peeked through her fingers at Rose. "Y-you would do that for me?"

"Of course. What are friends for?"

Ella gave her lavender-eyed friend a shaky smile. "His chumhandle is sweetBro."

Dave's eyebrows shot up. "What? Really?"

"Yeah, apparently your brother used to have a comic just like yours."

"...Whoa. My mind is blown over here," Dave deadpanned. He definitely didn't look or sound nearly as shocked as his words suggested.

Ella laughed uncertainly, oblivious to the look that John shot over her head at Dave and the small shrug that followed from the coolkid. Jade and Rose looked at each other apprehensively, and Rose decided to take matters into her own hands and break the two of them up.

"Dave? Why don't you go get us all something to drink? I think I saw a soda machine back there."

"But-"

"No buts. What does everyone want?"

Ella gave Rose a strange look but said that she could do with a Sprite. Jade and John both wanted Mountain Dew, and Rose said that she would just _love_ some lemonade. Dave rolled his eyes behind his shades and went to go get the drinks.

Rose whipped out her phone and started typing while John and Jade continued to comfort Ella.

-tentacleTherapist [TT] has begun pestering sweetBro [SB]-

TT: Hello.

SB: uhh...sup?

TT: I am Rose Lalonde, one of Ella's friends. I'm sure you have heard about me.

SB: oh yeah, hi rose. what's going on?

TT: Well, Ella is in the hospital and I really do recommend that you come out here to give her your support.

SB: SHE'S WHAT?!

TT: I apologize that we did not inform you sooner, but we really just found out ourselves.

SB: what is she there for?! is she okay?!

TT: Yes, she is quite alright at this moment. John and Jade are calming her down as we speak.

SB: okay...okay. i'll be there asap, first flight to hawaii that i can get. what heppened?

TT: We were helping Jade clean up her island after the hurricane and Ella suddenly had an attack.

SB: what kind of attack?

TT: She tells us that it was an overwhelming pain in her head that caused her to black out. The doctor is concerned that it may be a brain tumor, which is why we are currently at the hospital.

SB: okay. good enough for now. tell me more when i get there, see ya.

TT: See you, and thank you for coming.

SB: of course i'm coming. bye.

-sweetBro [SB] has ceased pestering tentacleTherapist [TT]-

Rose looked up from her Pesterlog just in time to see Dave enter with everyone's drinks.

"Good news, Ella's cousin is catching the first flight to Hawaii that he can get."

Ella looked rather relieved as she took her Sprite with trembling fingers.

"Thank you. I have no idea what I'd do without you guys."

**Note: Thanks again to whostuck123 for everything, and thanks to all you readers. I'm really sorry about how fast this whole thing is paced, I really want to go back and fix it... yeah... ~kandyblood hangs her head in shame at her fanfic and goes to play with her cousin~**


	16. Ella: Reminisce About Friendship

**Note: Okay, so I fixed chapter nine because it was really really bothering me. And I managed to bust out a new chapter as well. Happy birthday! I meant to mention this before, but I think this fic will probably end up being 23-25 chapters. I was originally planning on 20, but...that's not going to work the way this plot is going. So here is chapter 16, enjoy the lightning fast update. And I'm not Hussie in case you thought I was.**

The next week was a blur for Ella. Cuz came to Hawaii to stay with her at the hospital, just as he promised, and her friends decided it would be better if they rented a hotel room instead of staying at the hospital once Cuz was there. They visited every day, and Ella was able to keep herself together reasonably enough when they were present. She rarely let her nosocomephobia get to her even when they weren't there. But once the original shock had worn off, her friends were there less and less often.

Ella had never felt more alone.

She had always been worried that she was the odd man out in her group of friends, a sort of fifth wheel. Once she even stopped talking to them for a whole month because hearing them talk about how close they were to each other was too painful. There was more, too. She had never been popular in school. Sometimes Ella had come home with new cuts and bruises from getting beat up for being a "four-eyed skinny little artist freak." She was miserable...and then came Erin, her one and only friend within three hundred miles.

Erin was...special. She always wore a trench coat and cardboard 3D glasses. She was extremely socially awkward, about as emotional as a stone block around people she didn't know or didn't trust, and had never really had any friends either. And she was also a genius. That girl could fix a computer, do a complicated equation in her head, and preform circus tricks all at once. (which she actually did one time, long story there) Ella met her when she was getting beat up in eighth grade. Erin had simply walked over to the gang that was hurting Ella and said, "I think you should probably fuck off now." They took one look at her bizarre appearance and fled.

Ella and Erin became inseparable. Even though Erin went to a different school, they became known around both schools as the Dynamic Duo. Ella slowly regained her confidence with Erin's support and Erin became more trusting with Ella's. They had been best friends until Erin's Sis moved them both to a log cabin in the Rockies without any warning. Ella had never seen Erin again, but her confidence was much better from their friendship.

Ella sat in her hospital room, thinking of Erin, and suddenly she realized that she really missed her friend. John, Jade, Dave, and Rose were all great, but truth be told they had just met. Just then the four of them walked in, talking and laughing. They were all tan from running around Honolulu while Ella was stuck inside. She suddenly felt a surge of anger and hurt at them for not being there for her, but she tried to squash it because she knew she was being unreasonable.

"Hi Ella!"

"Sup."

"Hi!"

"How are you?"

Ella found herself getting more and more angry as her friends greeted her. She pursed her lips and said nothing, realizing that she had no right to be angry. _They have been there for me_, she thought to herself. _They've been really supportive and kind. You have no reason to be angry._ But the feeling wouldn't go away as she looked at her happy, laughing, care-free friends.

"Ella? Are you okay...?" John asked concernedly.

She opened her mouth to respond, but the words came out much harsher than she expected. "Yup. Peachy."

"Ella, please tell us what's the matter," Rose prompted gently.

Something inside Ella snapped. "You know what's the matter? You guys are the matter. You all go running around Honolulu and then come back here and act like my life isn't in danger," she said sharply, her voice rising with every word.

They stared back at her blankly, not knowing how to respond.

"Ella-"

"Just...get out. Please," she said shortly.

They filed out silently, unsure of what else they could do. Ella watched them leave and buried her face in her hands.

If their friendship was fragile before, she must have just fucked it over completely.

**Thanks to whostuck123 for letting me use Erin and Sis, they're her characters. If you want to read more about Erin, whostuck's fic is called Lifestuck. Thanks especially to toasterama for your review, it made me feel all fuzzy inside. :3 So...yeah, I guess I'm done here. ~kandyblood ollie outies~**


	17. Ella: Hide

**Note: Woo hoo, early update! I wrote this on paper earlier and then had to transfer it, so that took a while. But good news- I'M GETTING MY OWN COMPUTER! Early updates for all! Also, I want to thank bluelanterns and ThatOneGirl for reading whostuck123's fic, that was amazing of you. whostuck123, I love you so platonically in the most best-friendy way possible! And I own exactly none of Homestuck or its characters.**

I heard a creak that had to be the door, but I didn't bother looking up. I just sat there with my face in my hands, thinking about my ruined friendship with the four people who I cared about most (except Cuz, of course). In fact, it was Cuz's voice that woke me from my stupor, but I refused to acknowledge him as he talked.

"Ella? Why did I just see a therapist, a coolkid, a bubbly dork, and a sad-looking bigger dork walk out of the hospital? Is something wrong?"

No response.

"C'mon, tell me. Rose was patting John's back and telling him that it was okay, and he kept insisting that it wasn't. I'm pretty sure something's wrong."

No response.

"Ella, look at me! What happened!"

I kept my head in my hands and mumbled my response at the ground.

"I ruined everything."

"What's everything?"

No response.

"_Ella!_"

"Our friendship."

"Aw c'mon, no you didn't," Cuz said comfortingly. He came over and sat next to me, patting my knee gently.

I flinched away from him and curled up into a little ball, not wasting to be comforted.

Cuz was silent for awhile.

"…I'm going to go get them."

He was up and out the door before I could stop him. I sprang to my feet and ran after him, but it was too late. I skidded to a halt before the elevators just as the doors closed. I pressed the button frantically, but the doors didn't open. I cursed and ran back to the room, tidying the bed and bookshelf before diving into the closet.

The door opened again and I could hear Cuz talking to John.

"She's really upset…"

"I know! It's all my fault!" John wailed, distressed.

"No, it's not. She just needs to talk it out with you guys," Cuz soothed.

I could almost hear John shaking his head as he stepped further into the room. A heartbeat of silence, and then-

"She's…not…here…"

"What? What do you mean she's not here?" Cuz asked, half defensive and half confused.

"I mean she's not here!" John exclaimed bewilderedly.

I held my breath and crossed my fingers, praying that they'd go away. I heard everyone shuffle into the room and exclaim confusedly about my sudden disappearance. (Well, that bit was mostly John, Jade, and Cuz. Rose provided logical suggestions of my whereabouts and I assume Dave was just as stoic as ever) Finally, Rose started actually looking around for me. I knew that she'd look in the closet soon because there really weren't all that many hiding places in the room. I dove under a pile of blankets and hid there, my heart beating wildly as I tried to calm my breathing. Sure enough, the doors slid open and light filtered into the closet.

"Doesn't look like she's in here," I heard Dave say. Somebody crossed the room and came to a halt right in front of my blanket disguise.

"You have to move stuff around, Dave," John said exasperatedly. I curled up in the tightest ball and shrank away from what I knew was inevitable discovery. More light illuminated my hiding place, staining the insides of my closed eyelids red. I felt cool air on my skin as John pulled the blankets off me. I squeezed my eyes shut even tighter and thought invisible thoughts, but it was too late.

"Ella! Why were you hiding from us?" John said, his voice betraying how upset he was.

I decided to use my best defense:

No response.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, but I refused to look up.

"Ella, come on. Look at me," John said gently.

No response.

The silence was deafening.

"Ella, please…" His voice was so earnest and pleading and adorable. I peeked at him through one eye and mumbled quietly into my arms.

"What."

"Why are you hiding from us?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"I ruined our friendship."

"That's ridiculous!" John said heatedly. "Friends get mad at each other sometimes! It happens! That doesn't mean that we're not friends anymore."

I was silent, but not because I didn't want to respond. I honestly didn't know how to tell him that I didn't know proper friend protocol.

John just hugged me and petted my hair. I noticed that everyone else had left.

"John."

"What is it?"

"I…don't know…"

"Don't know what?"

"About what friends are even supposed to do…"

John said nothing, just tilted my chin up so we were facing each other. I kept my eyes down, to the side, anywhere so I didn't have to look at him.

"Look at me," he whispered softly.

I reluctantly dragged my eyes up to stare into his ocean-blue ones. He smiled a little, revealing just a sliver of his buckteeth, and kissed me. I closed my eyes and instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck, even though my mind was screaming at me to pull away. He smiled into the kiss and gently probed my lips with his tongue. I opened my mouth obligingly and he slipped his tongue in, running it along my tongue and licking the roof of my mouth. I sucked on his tongue slightly and then used my own to map the still-unfamiliar curves of his mouth. He growled sexily and pulled me down on top of him in the blanket pile. I straddled his hips with my legs and pressed myself against him, leaving one last kiss on his lips before moving down to his throat. I smiled as I licked his adam's apple tauntingly, exciting another growl from him. I nibbled my way down to the hollow of his neck, but John was having none of it. He yanked me back up and gave me a deep, tender kiss on the lips. I melted into him as he pulled away softly. John reached up and removed my glasses as he stared at me. His eyes were half-lidded and his lips were parted ever so slightly as he brushed my cheeks with the pads of his thumbs.

"What were you afraid of?"

I blushed. "I thought you guys would hate me because I blew up at you for no reason."

He ran his long piano fingers over my lips, my nose, my eyelids as he smiled slightly. "It wasn't for no reason. We did kinda abandon you."

I shook my head. "We're in Hawaii. I can't expect you guys not to have fun because of me."

He rolled his eyes. "Do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"Shut up."

He pulled me back towards him and dusted my face and lips with light, tender kisses. I smiled and blushed deeper, closing my eyes, but suddenly a thought occurred to me. I pulled away, frowning.

"But…what about the others?"

John just laughed. "They were just as worried about you as I was. And even if they weren't…"

"Yeah?"

"Who cares?"

I laughed and kissed him again, but I still felt uneasy.

_What if they never forgive me?_

**Note: Decided we needed a sloppy makeout. You're welcome. Reviews are much appreciated, just saying. ~kandyblood skips away, blowing kisses at everyone~**


	18. Everyone: Rejoice

**Note: To those who have writer's block, music and/or candy help. :) So whilst eating my Halloween candy I give you a new chapter! Yay! And guess what? I'm writing this on my very own computer! I'm so sorry that I couldn't write this sooner, but the updates will be infinitely faster from now on. Enjoy! And I don't own Homestuck.**

_A girl stood across the street, her long, dark hair tumbling down her back. She was facing away from me, her trench coat obscuring her features. I took a step toward her, thinking that she couldn't possibly be who I thought she was. She finally turned around and looked at me; I gasped and took a step backwards.  
It was Erin, just as I remembered but older. Her hair was long and wild, her 3D glasses obscuring her emotions as always. My face broke into a grin and I ran toward her happily, but the expression on her face stopped me. She snarled at me, her voice cold and accusing.  
"Why didn't you help me?"  
I stared at her, crestfallen. "I tried! I really did!"  
"I was alone! You left me!"  
"No! Erin, I'm sorry! I tried to call you, I left you a billion messages on Pesterchum! I couldn't get ahold of you!"  
She sneered at me. "Excuses, Ella. You were always good at those."  
"No please! Don't go!" I pleaded as she turned around. Her voice echoed around me as the other people in the city morphed into Erin.  
"You forgot me!"_

Ella woke from her dream with a start, gasping.

She took a few deep breaths and stood up, shakily dressing herself as she pondered her nightmare. _I must be really insecure about Erin, _she thought to herself. _Rose would go all counselor on me, telling me exactly what that dream meant…I really don't feel like having my brains picked though-_ She stood up straight in the middle of trying to put on a sock. Today was the day that they would get the results from the lab test! She rushed to finish dressing and bustled around, getting all of her things ready to go just in case. Ella glanced at the clock excitedly.

7:13

Damn. The results were supposed to be in at 11. Looks like she had time to kill.

-_three hours later_-

John, Jade, Dave, and Rose had just arrived. They sat with Ella, talking excitedly. Ella talked with them, smiling nervously and fidgeting. Her friends, who had forgiven her without second thought about her outburst, were full of optimism and energy. Ella was strangely comforted by their cheerfulness. Finally, an older nurse popped her head in.

"Ella? You're results have just come, dear."

Ella rose and crossed the room, her heart thumping. Suddenly doubt crossed her mind. What if they found something? What if it was a brain tumor? What if she had to stay here longer? Her face got a bit pale and her stomach clenched at the last thought, but she pushed it away and tried to think optimistically. She could do this.

Calliope herself was waiting in the room for her. She greeted Ella with a smile and a hug.

"How are you?"

"Uhm…nervous. And rather excited to get the hell out of here."

The doctor laughed. "I'm sure you are. Let's take a look at those results, shall we?"

"Yeah."

Calliope turned off the lights and turned on the x-ray. It showed the same image of Ella's brain, but it had things circled and labeled. The doctor examined the photo and her face lit up with a huge smile.

"Good news! They came to the same conclusion as I did, which was that it was just a blood vessel that ruptured and caused that migraine. It shouldn't happen again, but I'll give you a prescription for medicine to heal that vessel a bit faster. So you are free to go home!"

Ella felt a huge grin of relief spread across her face and she hugged Calliope.

"Thank you thank you thank you!"

"Don't thank me, dear. Let me just write up this prescription…" Calliope pulled out a pen and wrote something quickly on her clipboard. "Alright, there you go. Just collect your things, sign out at the front desk, show them that, and pick up your medicine at the nearest pharmacy. Good luck!"

"Thank you," Ella said gratefully, still smiling. She practically skipped down the hall to her room, but stopped right outside and put on a sad face. She opened the door, staring dejectedly at the ground. Immediately her friends were on their feet.

"What happened?"

"Are you okay?"

Ella shoved them aside and looked up, grinning. She waved the prescription sheet at them.

"I'm free to go!"

They all cheered and helped Ella with her bags, laughing. John grinned at her.

"I think I might not be the Master Prankster anymore!"

Everyone laughed and headed out, Cuz trailing behind awkwardly. Ella fell back, grinning, and nudged him on the shoulder.

"You alright there?"

"Wh- oh yeah, I'm great! Sorry!"

Ella laughed. "Okay then."

"Hey, can you call those other hooligans over here? I need to talk with all of you."

"Sure. YO GUYS! GET OVER HERE!"

They walked over, grinning. "Yeah?"

"How does joining the grown-ups at Rose's house sound?"

He got unanimous approval from the group.

"Cool. The plane leaves tomorrow at 10:45 am, be ready."

They agreed and soon ran out ahead, leaving Cuz behind. He smiled as he watched Ella, laughing and smiling at the sunlight. John gave her a big tackle hug and they went rolling down a hill. The others followed, running and laughing and just being happy about everything. Even Dave graced the world with a legitimate smile.

After a while of this, the five of them picked themselves up and ran along the dock to where the boat was docked. They all piled in and sailed back to Jade's island to gather their things, smiles on their faces.

The world right then couldn't have been more full of light and happiness.

**Note: Thanks so much for reading! I know this is a crappy chapter, but it will get better! I promise! Thanks especially to whostuck123, you are the best moirale. Toodles! ~kandyblood away!~**


	19. Everyone: Arrive

**Note: I am really discouraged about this fanfic. The last chapter really sucked, and looking back on it now the whole thing is just kind of a train wreck. I hope you'll forgive me and read the sequel to this, which isn't up yet but is really the story I originally wanted to write. So these next two chapters will wrap this one up and I finally won't have to keep writing this fail of a story. :( Thanks for reading this far and for not giving up on my awful story.**

The five friends and Cuz boarded the plane to New York. Ella fell asleep on John's shoulder during the 10 hour flight, though he didn't really seem to mind. He eventually fell asleep on her head, both of them using each other as pillows. The other three smirked about this and took multiple pictures, totally planning to post this all over the internet. They eventually fell asleep too, as did Cuz.

Finally they touched down in New York. They stretched their cramped muscles and got up to get their carry-ons. Dave bumped his head on the luggage rack and let slip a few choice words, which earned him glares from several people with small children. He rolled his eyes behind his shades, still rubbing his head, and resumed getting his bag.

The six of them were waiting at the baggage claim when a tall blonde dude with sick anime shades walked up behind Dave. He made a motion at them all to be quiet and ninja pounced on Dave, for some reason with a puppet in hand. What was the most hilarious part was that Dave stepped to the side just in time for the man who must have been Bro to miss his target. Bro smirked and offered the younger Strider a fist bump, which Dave took. He then turned to face Cuz.

"Hey man. Long time no see," he said in a cool monotone.

Cuz just grinned and hugged Bro, who chuckled and returned the hug. Their two younger relatives exchanged glances. Grown-ups were weird as fuck.

They shrugged it off and followed the guardians to a cab that was waiting for them outside the airport. All seven of them managed to pile in and they were taken from Albany to Rainbow Falls, where Rose lived. After Bro had paid the driver and everyone had dragged all of their stuff from the trunk of the car, a tall brunette woman that looked a lot like John came out of the mansion. She walked over and hugged John, who smiled at her.

"Hello, I'm Jane. I'm John's cousin."

Ella smiled at Jane. "I'm Ella, nice to meet you."

"Hi, I'm Jade!"

"I am Rose and this is Dave."

"Nice to meet all of you. Now come inside, it's too hot to be standing about like this," Jane said and herded them into the house.

Cuz and Bro stood in the clearing and watched their friend fuss over the kids. Once they were inside, Cuz turned to look at Bro.

"So Dirk."

"So Will."

"What now?"

The cool guy smirked. "I dunno man. What now?"

Will laughed and punched Dirk lightly in the shoulder. "C'mon, you asshole. Let's go inside."

Dirk smirked and punched Will back. "Fine. Let's."

The two of them walked inside, where Jake and Roxy were introducing themselves to the younger generation. Jade looked really happy to see her cousin and penpal, though Rose was a bit less than overjoyed to see her slightly inebriated mother. John and Ella both greeted the new people cheerfully and Dave gave them cool but reasonably polite nods. Dirk caught his little brother's eye and gave him a slight nod. That kid was raised right. Will looked over and saw the exchange, but he just smiled to himself and shook his head. He would never understand cool people.

A while later, the party was sitting around the Lalondes' huge table. They had just finished dinner and were all talking animatedly. Jake and Ella were having a lively conversation about something or another, John was laughing with Roxy, Will and Dirk were talking, and Dave, Jane, and Rose were having a political debate of some sort. Dirk finally stood up and regarded the table. Everyone fell silent, though it was occasionally punctuated by Roxy's drunk giggles.

"Hello everyone. Good to see us all together after all this time, especially with these heathens over here." Dirk gestured at the younger company, three of whom giggled slightly. "And now, we need to hit the hay because I'm beat and honestly there's no point to staying up if I'm not around."

This little speech was met with applause and even an ironic whistle from Dave. One by one, people trickled upstairs to their respective guest rooms. Soon Ella and Will were the only two left.

"Hey Cuz?"

"Yeah kiddo?"

"What exactly is the connection between all of you?"

"Well, we were all friends when we were kids too. We met over Pesterchum, believe it or not."

"Wow, that's cool."

"Yeah…"

Ella stood and yawned. "I'm going to bed now, I'm going to start on my portfolio for Northwestern tomorrow."

"Okay kiddo." Will stood as well and ruffled Ella's hair. They walked up the stairs together to their respective rooms, smiling tiredly. Today had been a good day.

-_the next day_-

Ella woke up at seven-o-clock on the dot. She smiled at the sunshine streaming through her window and got up, stretching. She didn't even bother to put on clothes, just walked downstairs in her pajamas. Turned out Dave's brother was also an early riser. Ella greeted him cheerfully and sat down on the couch, grabbing her laptop from the table as she went. Her artist's fingers flew quickly across the keyboard, bringing up the information about Northwestern and the process for applying. Dirk sauntered over to the couch and peeked at the computer screen.

"Whatcha doing?"

"Applying for Northwestern. By the way, I never caught your name."

"Oh, I'm Dirk. What's your major going to be?"

"Visual Arts. Minor in English."

"Cool. What do you want to be?"

"Um, I was thinking an artist if I can and if that doesn't work out maybe a teacher."

"That sounds cool."

"Eeyup."

"I'll just leave you to that then. You want something to eat?"

"That'd be great, actually. Thanks."  
"No prob. Oh, and I like Big Mac too," Dirk says with a smirk as he turns around.

Ella laughs. "You watch it too?"

"'Course I do. It's only the most ironic show ever."

"Yeah, that's why," Ella teased over her shoulder.

He shrugs. "Maybe."

She laughs and returns to her computer. _Let's see…online application, counselor recommendation, teacher recommendation, test scores, and a fee…sounds easy enough,_ she thought to herself as she perused the page. She clicked on the application and started typing furiously.

College, here she comes.

**Note: So. Filler-y. And bad. Sorry. One last chapter after this, and then it'll be over. I'm so very sorry about how awful this whole thing is… *sighs* Don't look at me… ~kandyblood hangs her head and leaves in disgrace~**


	20. Everyone: To College!

**Note: Last chapter, it's basically just an epilogue so it's short. Landshark is finally over! The sequel to this is now up (it's called 'Coffee Guy'), and it will be college!stuck. I am so sorry that you all had to see this. ;n;**

-_a month and a half in the future-_

They had all been accepted to Northwestern. Dave was majoring in Music Technology, Rose was majoring in Fashion, Jade's major was Veterinary Sciences, John's was Biology, and Ella was of course in Visual Arts. They were all excited to be gone, and as the beginning of fall semester loomed nearer the five of them became restless. The guardians were mostly amused by the kids' eagerness, but it could sometimes be an annoyance. Nobody was sorry when the time came for everyone to return home to get their things.

The party of ten stood in the Midway airport, already weighted down with luggage as they awaited the last bag at the baggage claim. Will and Dirk were messing around with the bags, causing Jake to laugh and Ella and Dave to sigh with embarrassment. Ella cast her eyes away from her childish cousin and let them wander around the airport. Something caught her attention in the corner of her eye and she turned around lazily. And then her heart stopped.

Erin was standing by the baggage claim with a look of irritation on her face, her trademark Doctor Who trench coat and bizarre 3D glasses making her instantly recognizable. Ella gaped and then grinned and waved at her old friend enthusiastically. Erin glanced over and froze when she saw Ella. Her expression turned disbelieving and then it was wiped completely blank as she turned around stiffly, yanked her bag violently from the conveyor belt, and stalked off. Ella felt her face fall. _She definitely recognized me…did I do something wrong?_ She thought to herself. A burning feeling of disappointment settled in her gut and she reluctantly turned back to the baggage claim. John spotted her brooding and walked over.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"…Yeah. I'm fine."

"You sure?"

Ella sighed. "No. I just saw an old childhood friend. I know she recognized me, but she just turned tail and left as soon as she saw me."

"Aw, that sucks. I'm sure she'll come to her senses."

She looked up at him. "That was not one of your most comforting lines."

John laughed and nudged her shoulder. "Well, I can't always be perfect."

Ella laughed slightly and grabbed her bags from the claim. "C'mon. Let's g- oh. Well then."

Her cousin was kissing Dirk. In the middle of the airport. And Dirk was kissing back. Dave was in the middle of a facepalm x2 combo, and Jake was doubled over with silent laughter. The other members of their party were in various states of approval and/or embarrassment. Ella sighed and walked over to them swiftly.

"Get a room, you guys. We're in the fucking airport."

A few giggles rose from Jade, Jane, and Roxy as they watched Ella scold Will and Dirk. The two guys in question broke away, looking a little sheepish, and proceeded to grab some of the bags. Ella just shook her head and gathered her own things. She gestured to her friends to follow and they all walked out into the chilled Chicago air.

Her face must have shown that she was still thinking about Erin, because John set his bags down on the sidewalk and planted a small kiss on her cheek.

"Hey, don't worry about it too much. We're about to go to college, be happy!"

Ella laughed slightly and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Okay. Let's do this."

And so they waited for the taxi that would take them to their next adventure.

_College, here we come._

**Aaaand, that's the end! I had lots of fun writing this, even if it turned out awful. Sequel is coming up soon, that will most likely be a bit better than this! Hopefully. Please don't forget to review! Until we meet again… ~kandyblood, over and out!~**

** s/8747313/1/Coffee-Guy (copy paste this into your search bar for chapter 1 of Coffee Guy)**

**-new note-**

**Dear Guest,**

**I'd really like to thank you for leaving that review, because whostuck and I FLIPPED THE FUCK OUT at your genius. In fact, I have decided to write a one-shot off-shoot in your honour because that's just how fucking awesome you are for that comment. Like you don't even know dude. Just. Made my life right there. So it's gonna be called 'Doctor Who?' because I THINK YOU'RE AMAZING! Okay, I'm done fangirling now. Thanks so much for leaving that review! :3**

**(and here's the link for the doctor story:) s/8790763/1/Doctor-Who**


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